Alzheimer's disease and the need for supervision

Caregivers of 35 Alzheimer's disease patients (AD), were interviewed regarding the amount of time the patient is left alone, previous accidents and hazardous behaviors, as well as the caregiver's perception of the patient's safety and the need for supervision. Dementia severity was highly correlated with the perceived need for supervision (p < 0.001). Dementia severity was less strongly associated with actual supervision intensity (p = 0.038). The variable most strongly associated with actual supervision was previous hazardous behavior in the past year (p < 0.001). Among the more severely demented, caregivers providing constant supervision were more likely to believe the patient was safe.