Home care and intermittent care--a realistic alternative to nursing-home care?
An inventory was made among 210 elderly nursing-home patients to investigate the feasibility of exchanging their permanent stay in the nursing home for another form of care and whether they wanted to. The main alternative was intermittent nursing-home care. The patients were assessed as to physical and mental health and social conditions. The majority (62.7%) were considered too ill for other than nursing-home care. In some patients (24.8%) there were social factors, the main one being that they no longer had a home of their own. However, 26 patients (12.4%) were recommended for intermittent care, but only three were interested. From these results it was concluded that if intermittent home care is to represent a realistic alternative it should be offered to the patients before they move into a nursing home.
Berthold
H
H
Department of Geriatric and Long-Term Care Medicine, University of Göteborg, Sweden.
Landahl
S
S
Svanborg
A
A
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006699:Home Care Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006707:Homes for the Aged / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007380:Intermediate Care Facilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009735:Nursing Homes / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012144:Respite Care; D013548:Sweden; D014505:Urban Population