Delirium is a disorder characterized by a fluctuating disturbance of consciousness and attention, with changes in cognition or perception, which develops over a short period of time and is attributable to an underlying physical cause. It is often accompanied by disturbance of the sleep-wake cycle and altered psychomotor behaviour.

Although intermediate care takes a variety of different forms and has developed somewhat differently in different countries, we believe that intermediate-care schemes have enough in common to make it meaningful to examine the relationship between this method of care and the views of older patients receiving either it or its alternatives. This is particularly important as one of the underlying principles of intermediate care is to extend patient choice; furthermore, most intermediate-care services target older people. In this review we examine evidence about whether older people prefer intermediate or hospital care, and what they like and dislike about intermediate care.

Attitudes and adjustment to lifespan transitions such as retirement remained fairly stable and predictable in Portugal and the rest of Europe until the 1980s. After this time, transformations in the labour market, economy and social and welfare policies, began to take place. At the present time, in Portugal, as in all European countries, the number of retired people continues to rise, transforming the lives of both individuals and societies.

Dementia is a syndrome describing progressive and largely irreversible brain dysfunction. Symptoms are varied but commonly include memory loss, mood changes and difficulties with language and judgement. Delusions and hallucinations can also occur. With disease progression there is a gradual loss of ability to perform tasks of daily living. A range of illnesses, most of which are currently incurable, can cause dementia. These include Alzheimer's disease (AD), vascular dementia (VaD), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Mixed patterns of dementia also exist, typically Alzheimer's disease overlapping with vascular dementia. This combination of pathologies is probably much commoner in the elderly than traditionally thought.