Describes program of short-term rehabilitation care provided to elderly patients through collaboration between hospital and nursing home. Discusses program planning and implementation experiences, patient satisfaction, and rehabilitation outcomes. Notes that program, although successful, was discontinued due to financial and interorganizational…

Examined public and private costs for nursing home applicants participating in Virginia Nursing Home Pre-Admission Screening Program. Found that applicants diverted to community care were less dependent and had greater informal supports than those admitted, and that public and private payments for community care were lower than for nursing home…

Expresses reservations concerning McConnel's (1984) application of the life table technique to the risk of institutionalization. Presents alternative interpretations as well as estimates of the probability of institutionalization that are substantially lower than McConnel's. (Author/ABB)

Considers impoverishment as a consequence of continuous institutionalization in a nursing home to be a public policy problem and the plight for any older Americans. Discusses one form of long-term care (LTC) insurance, the continuing care retirement community or life care community, and contrasts this small LTC self-insurance group with two other…

Evaluated economic costs for nursing home patients and elderly living in their own homes. Using time records compiled by nurses or family members, the costs incurred annually in caring for a senile demented elderly person at home were estimated to average $11,735, and in a nursing home, $22,458. (Author/BL)

Describes an exchange program between a cooperative nursery school and a nursing home in which children were paired with nursing home residents. Discusses selecting and preparing child and adult participants, planning and supervising group and class activities, and teaching children about death and illness. (CB)

A field study of residents' satisfaction or dissatisfaction with open-ward accomodations in a skilled-nursing facility revealed that 88 percent of the respondents preferred the open ward to any other type of room accomodation. Findings suggest that for residents with multiple functional disabilities, the open ward is a supportive environment.…

Ninety-nine caregivers who utilized a respite service reported that respite care contributed to improved physical and mental health, better relationships, and increased confidence in their ability to continue in the caregiving role, while not affecting patients' physical or mental functioning. Reported likelihood of institutionalization increased…

Discusses the trend toward affiliation of nursing homes with educational programs as clinical teaching institutions for medical, nursing, and allied health students. Reviews potential ethical and legal issues for the nursing home administrator, professional staff member, educator, and student, including informed consent, supervisory…

Surveyed discharge planners at 49 acute care hospitals to ascertain problems they perceived in placing elderly patients. Selected hospital characteristics and placement practices and the ways in which they are associated with hospital back-up (sometimes called administratively necessary days) and delays in placement were analyzed. (Author/JAC)

Describes the accomplishments of elderly Jews residing at the Toronto Baycrest Centre, a multilevel geriatric facility, who formed a memoir activity group which eventually led to publication of their memoirs. The value of the activity for the group and for other groups of older persons in general is discussed. (JAC)

Based on a needs assessment survey (66 responses from 101 nursing home activity coordinators), a recreation manual and training program was developed and tested with 25 coordinators/recreation staff. The 14 who completed evaluations increased their understanding of such topics as depression; goals of nursing home recreation programs; motivation of…

Training for caregivers of elderly nursing home residents focused on the use of reminiscence for psychological and emotional health. One technique taught was the memory box, an old suitcase filled with objects sorted into themes to stimulate memories. (SK)

Examines the efficacy of a comprehensive behavior management skills training program for improving certified nursing assistants' (CNAs) skill performance in the nursing home. Results reveal improvement in five out of seven communication skills. Although CNAs showed a reduction in the use of ineffective behavior management strategies, they did not…

Studies the effect of depression on social engagement among newly admitted nursing home residents. Results reveal that residents with depression were significantly more often found to have low social engagement. (Contains 26 references and 3 tables.) (GCP)