Prevalence and characteristics of nursing homes residents requiring light-care.
Rising nursing home (NH) costs and the poor quality of NH care make it important to recognize elders for whom NH care may be inappropriate. As a first step in developing a method to identify these elders, we examined the characteristics of NH residents requiring light-care and changes in their care level from NH admission to 12-months. Using data from the Missouri Minimal Data Set electronic database, we developed three care-level categories based on Resource Use Groups, Version III (RUG-III) and defined light-care NH residents as those requiring minimal assistance with late-loss ADLs (bed mobility, transfer, toilet use, or eating) and having no complex clinical problems. Approximately 16% of Missouri NH residents met the criteria for light-care. They had few functional problems with mobility, personal care, communication, or incontinence; approximately 33% had difficulty maintaining balance without assistance; and 50% of those admitted as light-care were still light-care at 12-months. Findings suggest that many NH residents classified as light-care by these criteria could be cared for in community settings offering fewer services than NHs.
Grando
Victoria T
VT
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, College of Nursing, 4301 West Markham, AR 72205, USA.
Rantz
Marilyn J
MJ
Petroski
Gregory F
GF
Maas
Meridean
M
Popejoy
Lori
L
Conn
Vicki
V
Wipke-Tevis
Deidre
D
D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000145:classification; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003953:Diagnosis-Related Groups; D005260:Female; D016330:Frail Elderly / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006304:Health Status; D016852:Housing for the Elderly / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008134:Long-Term Care / Q000145:classification; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008923:Missouri; D020380:Needs Assessment; D009735:Nursing Homes / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*