Prevention of unnecessary geriatric deaths: differential rate of morbidity/mortality on admission to long term care facilities.
The amount of trauma experienced by elderly entering nursing homes appears to be a function of a number of environmental factors. The present study uses physician visits, PRN medication requests, the number of prescription medications administered, and mortality to compare the effects of two nursing home types, nonprofit and proprietary, on the elderly over a period of seven months. Physician visits, medication requests, and the number of prescription medications administered fluctuated in the nonprofit homes over the seven months while they decreased and then stabilized in the proprietary homes. Mortality was significantly higher in the proprietary homes. The implications of these findings for preventive interventions are discussed.
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000368:Aged; D003625:Data Collection; D006269:Health Facilities, Proprietary; D006272:Health Facility Environment; D006801:Humans; D009017:Morbidity; D009026:Mortality; D009735:Nursing Homes; D013781:Texas