The prevalence, incidence and persistence rates were all low
for “early morning awakening” in this study population. The other
symptoms of sleep disruption varied more in prevalence, incidence
and persistence rates. Verkaik found “disruption of sleep” to
be the least prevalent depressive symptom in a nursing home
study (Verkaik et al., 2009). In the present study there were no
significant changes in the odds of the symptoms of sleep disruption
at the CSDD being present when adjusting for the level of
CDR. Sleep disturbances among older residents with or without
dementia in nursing homes can be explained by several medical
conditions. It is suggested that these symptoms should be considered
as unspecific symptoms of depression in geriatric populations
(Forsell et al., 1993; Kurlowicz et al., 2002).