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Predictors of the Level of Care assigned to New Nursing Home Residents

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 November 2010

Peter R. Grant
Affiliation:
University of Saskatchewan

Abstract

Admission data from 159 residents of four Saskatchewan nursing homes were analysed in order to identify predictors of level of care. Multiple regression analyses showed that a high level of care was assigned to those who were unable to perform various activities of daily living, those who had behavioral problems, and those who had recently experienced a stressful life event; with these variables and a nursing home variable explaining 47.2% of the variance. Appropriately, the most important predictor is activities of daily living. The other major predictor is behavioral problems which, the results suggest, are caused by either an organic psychotic disorder or a high level of stress. It is recommended that, following admission, new residents with behavioral problems caused by stress should be the recipients of programs designed to help them cope with this stress and mitigate their behavioral problems. Then, they should be reassessed and, where appropriate, reassigned to a lower level of care.

Résumé

Les données provenant des fiches d'admission de 159 personnes vivant dans quatre maisons de retraite de la Saskatchewan ont été analysées en vue d'identifier les indices permettant de prévoir le degré de soins qui leur seraient nécessaires. Les analyses de régression multiple ont montré que les soins les plus intensifs sont attribués aux sujets qui sont incapables de s'acquitter des activités de la vie quotidienne, à ceux qui présentent des problèmes du comportement, et à ceux qui ont traversé une crise récente; ces variables ainsi que la variable de la maison de retraite expliquent 47,2% de la variance. Le principal indice est celui des activités quotidiennes. Le second indice par ordre d'importance est celui des problèmes du comportement engendrés, selon le rapport, par un désordre psychotique d'origine organique ou par un stress élevé. Il est recommendé que suite à l'admission en maison de retraite les personnes présentant des problèmes du comportement engenderés par le stress soient dirigées vers des programmes conçus en vue de les aider à surmonter ce stress et à atténuer les problèmes du comportement. Une fois ces objectifs atteints, les intéressés pourront être soumis à un nouvel examen et assignés à un degré de soins moins intensifs.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 1985

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