This report concerns the Health Care Financing Administration's (HCFA) contracting with Utilization and Quality Control Peer Review Organizations (PROs) as a means of monitoring the medical necessity and quality of in-hospital care provided to Medicare beneficiaries. Findings from a HCFA survey of PROs in California, Florida, and Georgia are used…

Family caregivers may face ethical dilemmas when deciding whether a parent or spouse should enter a nursing home. There is considerable evidence that decisions about institutionalization are usually stressful and difficult for family members. This study obtained qualitative and quantitative data from two studies conducted at the Margaret Blenkner…

This study was undertaken to evaluate a training program on understanding Alzheimer's disease for nursing home caregivers of those with the disease. A pretest/posttest design control group methodology was used to evaluate 81 staff members. Results of the study showed that: (1) staff satisfaction with working with mentally impaired and demented…

At the request of Congressman William Green, the General Accounting Office (GAO) evaluated the validity of allegations about deficiencies in the New York State Department of Health's nursing home and hospital inspection processes for certification for participation in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Health Care Financing Administration and…

Noting that creative drama activities can have a therapeutic value when used with the elderly in nursing homes, this paper outlines a creative drama program that was used in such a setting. Various sections of the paper describe (1) the nursing home setting, the nature of the participants, and the effects the program had upon them; (2) dramatic…

USING DATA COLLECTED IN A SAMPLE SURVEY OF RESIDENT INSTITUTIONS WHICH PROVIDE NURSING OR PERSONAL CARE TO THE AGED OR CHRONICALLY ILL, EMPLOYEES WERE DESCRIBED IN TERMS OF AGE AND SEX, JOB CATEGORIES, HOURS WORKED PER WEEK, FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT STAFF, AND RATIO OF RESIDENTS TO EMPLOYEES. SOME FINDINGS WERE--(1) NURSING AND PERSONAL CARE HOMES…

This research sought to ascertain predictors of well-being and survival among "elite" residents in long-term care facilities. Analysis showed that primary predictors of morale, life satisfaction, satisfaction with treatment, and survival were residents' subjective perceptions of the facility and their preference about living in it or elsewhere.…

Relatives (N=62) of matched pairs of patients in geriatric foster homes and nursing homes rated care provided to their relatives. Significantly more foster family patients had positive pre-placement attitudes than did nursing home patients. Upon follow-up, relatives of foster patients reported seeing more patient improvement, satisfaction,…

Studied the effects of monthly psychiatric consultation in a nursing home. Suggested that consultation was primarily useful to staff providing direct care to referred residents. Cited benefits to residents as increased staff awareness and acceptance of emotional problems and increased frequency of therapeutic programs offered at the nursing home.…

Defines institutional care and estimates institutional care by the elderly. Reviewed are prospective and cross-sectional studies in which utilization was estimated, along with studies in which factors are identified that influence long-term care utilization such as age, sex, availability of caregivers, and functional status. (Author/ABB)

Nurses in long-term care facilities indicated that about 30 percent of residents presented noise-making behavior. From descriptions, typology of noise-making was identified: purposeless and perseverative noise-making, noise-making in response to environment, noise-making to elicit response from environment, "chatterbox" noise-making,…

Presents Project Adapt, a psychogeriatric rehabilitation service developed to integrate assessment, behavior and medication management, and outcome evaluation to meet needs of mentally ill in nursing homes. Notes that mental health staff perceived significantly more improvement among participating nursing home residents than among those not…

Studied 79 nursing home residents who were expected to return to community. Only 16 percent of subjects did not return to community: two chose to remain in nursing home, four had no willing family caregivers, and two quickly deteriorated. Results did not support notion of iatrogenesis. (Author/NB)

Nurses in long-term care settings described behaviors of patients at risk for wandering and rated wanderers (N=59) and nonwanderers (N=41) on these behaviors. Revealed three independent factors of which two differentiated known wanderers from those who had not previously wandered: cognitive deficits and hyperactivity. Dimensions in turn were…

Develops a perspective for studying institutional procedures for assigning incoming patients to available wards and for transferring patients between and among wards. Presents ethnographic data collected in one extended-care facility. Discusses staff-patient and patient-patient interactions surrounding ward assignments and transfers. (Author/ABB)