Involuntary treatment in dementia care at home: Results from the Netherlands and Belgium.

The study was cross-sectional, so it cannot show that living alone, dependency, cognition or caregiver burden caused involuntary treatment. Involuntary treatment was reported by professional caregivers, not directly by patients or family caregivers. Data came from selected regions in the Netherlands and Belgium, so they may not represent other countries or all home care services. Participants were selected differently in the two countries, and the Dutch and Belgian groups differed in ADL dependency and cognitive functioning. Only people with a formal physician diagnosis of dementia receiving professional home care were included, so findings may not apply to earlier dementia, nursing home care or hospital care.

Do not read the associations as proof that living alone, dependency, lower cognition or caregiver burden caused involuntary treatment. This was a cross-sectional survey with caregiver-reported data, so it describes patterns rather than causes.