Resident contact with family and friends following nursing home admission.
OBJECTIVE
This study explored factors that are related to the level of contact (number of visits and calls) between newly admitted nursing home residents and their family and friends. In addition to reexamining factors studied previously, several new factors were explored: contact level prior to nursing home placement, dementia status, and resident race.


METHODS
Interviews were conducted with the significant others of 1,441 residents from a representative sample of nursing homes in Maryland.


RESULTS
Contact decreased by approximately half following admission, compared to reported preadmission contact. Rates of contact are positively related to nonuse of Medicaid, kinship closeness, support network proximity, nondemented status, and White race. After controlling for preadmission contact, postadmission contact is positively associated with kinship closeness, support network proximity, nondemented status, and White race.


CONCLUSIONS
The study identifies factors that are useful to consider when designing interventions to increase family involvement with nursing home residents.
Port
C L
CL
Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore 21201, USA. cport@epi.umaryland.edu
Gruber-Baldini
A L
AL
Burton
L
L
Baumgarten
M
M
Hebel
J R
JR
Zimmerman
S I
SI
Magaziner
J
J
D000368:Aged; D017028:Caregivers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003704:Dementia; D005195:Family Relations; D006707:Homes for the Aged; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008134:Long-Term Care; D008396:Maryland; D008484:Medicaid / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009735:Nursing Homes; D009769:Object Attachment; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D044469:Racial Groups; D012044:Regression Analysis; D014789:Visitors to Patients / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*