390 patients living at home with mild to moderate dementia and their family caregivers were recruited by 129 general practitioners (GPs) for a three-arm cluster-randomized longitudinal study. The IDA-Study (Initiative for dementia care in general practice, www.projekt-ida.de) was performed between 2005 and 2010 in Germany. Data were recorded by the GPs and the caregivers at baseline and after 12 and 24 months. 357 caregivers could be interviewed at baseline. The predictors for institutionalization were determined by means of binary logistic regression analysis.

The mean age of the dementia patients was 80.3 years (SD = 6.8). 65% suffered mild dementia, 35% had moderate dementia at baseline. 68% of the patients were women. The mean age of the family caregivers was 59.4 years (SD = 13.4); 73% were women.

Of the 250 evaluable cases who did not die at home during the first two years after baseline, 60 (24%) were institutionalized during this period. Neither the gender of the dementia patients (p = 0.78) nor that of the caregivers (p = 0.12) was a significant predictor for institutionalization in the regression analysis. Admission to a nursing home was significantly more frequent when the caregiver was older, in a city, when more use had been made of relief offers at baseline, and when the caregivers felt more burdened.

Institutionalization of a dementia patient does not depend on the gender of the dementia patient or on the gender of the caregiver. Factors of the care situation are decisive, especially whether relief offers are used or not.