Does assessment make a difference for people with dementia? The effectiveness of the Aged Care Assessment Teams in Australia

The needs of individuals with dementia and other psychiatric problems of old age have received increased attention in Australia over the last decade. This paper reports on the role of Aged Care Assessment Teams (ACATs) in managing these clients, and the extent to which they are differentiated from other clients in the assessment process and outcomes recommended. Data on some 26,500 clients seen by ACATs in Victoria in the second half of 1999 are analysed to show (1) the relationship between a diagnosis of dementia and reporting of disability in orientation, (2) characteristics of clients with and without a diagnosis of dementia and (3) outcomes for groups of clients defined on the basis of a diagnosis of dementia and disability in orientation.