Hospitals with emergency departments are having difficulty caring for people with dementia, a survey led by the National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology says.

About 94 percent of the hospitals that replied said it was difficult to provide care to people with dementia when they are rushed in to treat injuries or illness, citing the risk of patients falling, miscommunicating or failing to cooperate on checkups and treatment.

The results — to be presented at an academic conference on dementia starting Saturday in Yokohama — are likely to raise concern that such patients may not get sufficient medical treatment when in need of urgent care.