title: Predictors of nursing home placement and mortality of residents in intermediate care.
abstract: Assessments of sensorimotor function, cognitive status and health measures were made in 95 intermediate-care (hostel) residents (mean age 82.7 years). The residents were then followed up for 3 years to determine which measures were associated with nursing-home placement and/or death. Information on the outcome of 92 participants was available at the end of the 3-year period. At this time, 53 residents (58%) were still residing at the hostel, seven (8%) had been transferred to nursing homes and 32 residents (35%) had died. Sixteen of the 32 subjects who had died had been transferred to nursing homes. Discriminant function analysis identified tactile sensitivity, ankle dorsiflexion strength, reaction time, sway with eyes open on a compliant (foam rubber) surface and cognitive impairment as the variables that significantly discriminated between subjects who were still in intermediate care and subjects who had been transferred to nursing homes. This procedure correctly classified 88% of subjects into intermediate care or nursing home groups. These variables, with the exception of ankle dorsiflexion strength, were also included in the final discriminant model when predicting mortality, correctly classifying 71% of the subjects. The findings indicate that cognitive impairment and reduced functioning in a number of sensorimotor factors are strongly related to poor outcomes for residents in hostel care.
authors.affiliation: Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute, Randwick, NSW., Australia.
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Lord
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006707:Homes for the Aged / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007380:Intermediate Care Facilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D009026:Mortality; D009460:Neurologic Examination / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009735:Nursing Homes / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010360:Patient Transfer / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016019:Survival Analysis