Detection and assessment
The incidence of dementia is on the increase as a result of an
ageing population and as a consequence the prevalence of
people with dementia in acute care will also be on the rise.
Although the prevalence of people with dementia in acute
care is not commonly known, it may be as many as one third
of all older patients, although their dementia may not have
been formally diagnosed (Mezey & Maslow, 2004).