A new approach to health assessment and the rate of working capacity decline of patients suffering from dementia, is based on the results (as of January 1, 2010) of a project entitled: Advances in medical science reflected in functional health state assessment and working incapacity in relation to International Classification of Diseases and International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health.

The total number of hospitalizations due to dementia (F01, F03, G30) increased by more than one fifth (from 6549 to 7981 hospitalizations) between 2006 and 2010. However, the overall number of disabilities between 2006 and 2009 decreased by one half (from 2998 to 1571), and between 2010 and 2011 dropped to 5% of its original number (190 and 144 cases respectively). Nevertheless, between 2007 and 2011, there was a 50% increase in the number of patients with institutionally confirmed disabilities (from 6270 to 9504).

Conclusion The new approach to incapacity assessment is in accordance with medical experts' opinions and advances in medical science, related to function ability, activity and participation.

The new way of incapacity assessment could be the reason for the dramatic decrease in the number of institutionally confirmed disabilities in 2010 and 2011, despite the growing number of patients suffering from dementia.

Such discrepancy may also be explained by early diagnostics and more effective treatment, which prevent patients with dementia from becoming disabled.

Moreover, this hypothesis corresponds to the increasing number of patients with a certain degree of dependence due to dementia.