Compared demented patients in special care units in four nursing homes with demented counterparts in same facilities who were not placed in special care units. Results suggest that two groups differ in level of cognitive impairment, behavior, and functional and physical status. No deleterious or beneficial effects were associated with special care…

Increased admissions from hospitals to nursing homes over six-month period resulted in reduced number of hospital nonacute patients requiring long-term care placement. Nursing homes shifted admissions patterns to accept more persons from non-hospital settings, hospital admissions declined, and number of nonacute patients in hospitals increased.…

Compared effects of ombudsman programs on quality of nursing home care on random sample of 134 Medicare/Medicaid-certified long-term care facilities in Missouri. Found that presence of ombudsman program was most important factor associated with quality for intermediate-care facilities, and was significantly associated with quality for skilled…

Implemented and evaluated primary care model of delivery of nursing aide care in small, rural nursing home and large, urban facility. Findings suggest that primary care nursing as applied to nursing attendants in long-term care was beneficial to residents in terms of decreasing disturbed behavior and improved affect. (Author/NB)

A conceptual framework and rationale for the periodic interviewing of nursing home residents and their families were developed, a methodology for developing necessary surveys was devised, and ways in which survey data could be used were identified. Client satisfaction surveys were conducted in three long-term care facilities in St. Paul,…

Notes that recent studies challenge assumption that Medicaid requires impoverishment; although two-thirds of elderly poor are not covered by Medicaid, many nursing home Medicaid recipients retain sizeable assets. Asserts that magnitude of asset spenddown is much smaller than previously believed. Discusses these findings and explores their…

Field tested Minimum Data Set (MDS) for Resident Assessment and Care Screening in two states. Findings and clinical input resulted in retention of 40 percent of original items, modification of 40 percent, elimination of 20 percent. MDS provides structure and language for understanding long-term care, design care plans, evaluate quality, describe…

Of 189 nursing homes, 83 percent reported that Medicare's hospital Prospective Payment System (PPS) affected patient needs, 53 percent said it affected patients and services provided, and 25 percent said it affected referrals to hospitals. PPS effects depended on facility factors of size, Medicare certification, tax status, and on local market…

Notes that United States currently has about 15 research institutes or departments affiliated with nursing homes, and several others are under consideration. Summarizes results of short survey of these institutes. Advantages for both nursing home and research of having research institute in nursing home are discussed along with problems that…

Used data from 1982 and 1984 National Long-Term Care Surveys to track cohort of disabled elderly persons residing in community in 1982 over the two years that followed. In contrast to persons who did not use nursing homes, persons who entered nursing homes had a four- to five-fold risk of spending down to Medicaid eligibility. (Author/NB)

Long-term care ombudsman programs are charged with resolving complaints and solving problems of elderly persons in long-term care settings. Conducted content analysis of annual ombudsman program reports sent to Administration on Aging from 49 states in 1990. Found substantial variation in documented information at both state and local levels and…

Examined changes in resident acuity and registered nurse staffing in all nursing homes in Pennsylvania before and after introduction of Medicare Prospective Payment System (PPS) in 1983. Found that acuity of nursing home residents increased significantly since introduction of PPS, full-time registered nurse staffing remained unchanged, and…

Three studies were undertaken to examine topics of care planning, personnel management, and quality assurance in long-term care facilities. The first study examined the formulation and implementation processes of care planning for nursing home residents. The exemplary homes' care planning included the existence of strong care planning leadership,…

Examined incidence and causes of Medicaid spenddown among disabled elderly persons. Found that approximately 10 percent of nursing home discharges experienced asset spenddown, process of converting from private pay to Medicaid, whereas over 50 percent of nursing home patients remained private pay throughout their stays. Becoming Medicaid patient…

Examined whether physical restraints are related to decreased social behavior among nursing home residents. Data collected from 112 nursing home residents suggest that low social performance puts resident at risk of being restrained, but more frequently use of restraint hampers resident's performance of social behavior. (Author/NB)