Helping Older Residents Remain in Subsidized Housing: Predictive Validity of the Live Well at Home-Rapid Screen (LWAH-RS) in a Real-World Application.

Common Bond Communities (CBC) is a nonprofit organization that provides housing for low-income individuals and families. CBC utilized the Live Well at Home-Rapid Screen (LWAH-RS) to identify the risks for nursing home admission or assisted living entry among housing residents aged 60 or above. Drawing data from 842 assessments, we studied how well the LWAH-RS predicted moves to nursing homes or assisted living settings. Cox regression models showed that the LWAH-RS did predict which residents would move to a care setting. Every 1-point higher in the LWAH-RS assessment score was associated with a 38% higher risk of moving to a higher-level care facility due to health issues. Given this demonstrated predictive validity in a real-world setting, we suggest more systematic approaches for housing practitioners to combat low assessment completion rates and unclear protocols for actions based on the scores.

What we learned through asking about evidence: A model for interdisciplinary student engagement.

Traditional university learning modalities of lectures and examinations do not prepare students fully for the evolving and complex world of gerontology and geriatrics. Students involved in more active, self-directed learning can develop a wider breadth of knowledge and perform better on practical examinations. This article describes the Evidence in Aging (EIA) study as a model of active learning with the aim of preparing students to be effective interdisciplinary researchers, educators, and leaders in aging. We focus particularly on the experiences and reflections of graduate students who collaborated with faculty mentors on study design, data collection, and analysis. Students acquired new methodological skills, gained exposure to diverse disciplines, built interdisciplinary understanding, and cultivated professional development. The EIA study is a model for innovative student engagement and collaboration, interactive learning, and critical scholarly development. Lessons learned can be applied to a range of collaborative research projects in gerontology and geriatrics education.

Prevention of Functional Decline by Reframing the Role of Nursing Homes?

Institutionalization is generally a consequence of functional decline driven by physical limitations, cognitive impairments, and/or loss of social supports. At this stage, intervention to reverse functional losses is often too late. To be more effective, geriatric medicine must evolve to intervene at an earlier stage of the disability process. Could nursing homes (NHs) transform from settings in which many residents dwell to settings in which the NH residents and those living in neighboring communities benefit from staff expertise to enhance quality of life and maintain or slow functional decline? A task force of clinical researchers met in Toulouse on December 2, 2015, to address some of these challenges: how to prevent or slow functional decline and disabilities for NH residents and how NHs may promote the prevention of functional decline in community-dwelling frail elderly. The present article reports the main results of the Task Force discussions to generate a new paradigm.

Care-Delivery Interventions to Manage Agitation and Aggression in Dementia Nursing Home and Assisted Living Residents: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the efficacy of nonpharmacological care-delivery interventions (staff training, care-delivery models, changes to the environment) to reduce and manage agitation and aggression in nursing home and assisted living residents. DESIGN: Three bibliographic databases, references of systematic reviews, ClincalTrials.gov, and the International Controlled Trials Registry Platform were systematically searched for randomized controlled trials reporting behavioral outcomes for nonpharmacological care-delivery interventions in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Five investigators independently assessed study eligibility, extracted data, rated risk of bias, and graded strength of evidence. Inclusion was limited to studies with low to moderate risk of bias. SETTING: Nursing homes and assisted living facilities. PARTICIPANTS: Facility caregiving staff. MEASUREMENTS: Agitation, aggression, antipsychotic and other psychotropic use, general behavior. RESULTS: Nineteen unique studies met entry criteria, addressing several categories of facility caregiver training interventions: dementia care mapping (DCM; n = 3), person-centered care (PCC; n = 3), clinical protocols to reduce the use of antipsychotic and other psychotropic drugs (n = 3), and emotion-oriented care (n = 2). Eleven additional studies evaluated other unique interventions. Results were pooled for the effect of each type of intervention on agitation and aggression: DCM (standardized mean difference -0.12, 95% confidence interval (CI) = -0.66 to 0.42), PCC (standardized mean difference -0.15, 95% CI = -0.67 to 0.38), and protocols to reduce antipsychotic and other psychotropic use (Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory mean difference -4.5, 95% C = -38.84 to 29.93). Strength of evidence was generally insufficient to draw conclusions regarding efficacy or comparative effectiveness. CONCLUSION: Evidence was insufficient regarding the efficacy of nonpharmacological care-delivery interventions to reduce agitation or aggression in nursing home and assisted living facility residents with dementia.

Re-imagining long-term services and supports: towards livable environments, service capacity, and enhanced community integration, choice, and quality of life for seniors.

In the half century since enactment of the 1965 Great Society programs, accomplishments were gradually made to improve access to and quality of long-term services and supports (LTSS), including: mitigation of financial and care abuses in nursing facilities (NFs); substantial rebalancing of LTSS towards consumer-preferred home-and-community-based services (HCBS); increasing flexible consumer-centered HCBS including payment to family caregivers; and more assisted-living and housing options for seniors with heavy care needs. A unified planning and advocacy agenda across age and disability type and greater consumer transparency fueled progress. Nonetheless, LTSS is a broken system; persistent problems interfere with substantial and necessary change. These include; over-emphasis on safety for LTSS consumers; inattention to physical environments in all settings; regulatory and professional rigidity; and poor communication and information. Our recommendations are aimed at builders and designers, LTSS professionals, regulators, and educators/trainers; the last may be crucial in forging new consensus and over-coming entrenched beliefs. Policy recommendations include relatively narrow steps-for example, requiring single occupancy in all NFs and assisted living settings financed with public dollars-to broad reworking of the prerequisites for livable age-friendly (and dementia-friendly) communities and for a capable, flexible LTSS workforce.

Long-Term Services and Supports for Older Adults: A Review of Home and Community-Based Services Versus Institutional Care.

Despite a shift from institutional services toward more home and community-based services (HCBS) for older adults who need long-term services and supports (LTSS), the effects of HCBS have yet to be adequately synthesized in the literature. This review of literature from 1995 to 2012 compares the outcome trajectories of older adults served through HCBS (including assisted living [AL]) and in nursing homes (NHs) for physical function, cognition, mental health, mortality, use of acute care, and associated harms (e.g., accidents, abuse, and neglect) and costs. NH and AL residents did not differ in physical function, cognition, mental health, and mortality outcomes. The differences in harms between HCBS recipients and NH residents were mixed. Evidence was insufficient for cost comparisons. More and better research is needed to draw robust conclusions about how the service setting influences the outcomes and costs of LTSS for older adults. Future research should address the numerous methodological challenges present in this field of research and should emphasize studies evaluating the effectiveness of HCBS.

Does home- and community-based care affect nursing home use?

A study was conducted to assess change in numbers, expenditures, and case mix of nursing home residents as Medicaid investment in home- and community-based services (HCBS) 1915(c) waivers increased in seven states. The seven states provided Medicaid expenditure and utilization data from 2001 to 2005, including waiver and state plan utilization. The Minimum Data Set was used for nursing home residents. For three states, community assessment data were also used. In six states, the number of nursing home clients decreased as the numbers of HCBS clients grew. However, in most states, the number of additional waiver clients often greatly exceeded reductions in nursing home residents. Nursing home payments decreased moderately, but this decrease was offset by increases in HCBS waiver and state plan expenditures, leading to a net increase in long-term support services (LTSS) expenditures from 2001 to 2005. Increases in waiver expenditures outpaced increases in waiver clients, indicating expansion of services on top of expansion in clients. States that showed substantial increases in HCBS showed only modest increases in nursing home case mix. The case mix for nursing home residents was more acute than that for HCBS users. The expectation that greater HCBS use would siphon off less severe LTSS users and hence lead to a higher case mix in nursing homes was partially met. The more acute case mix in nursing homes suggests that HCBS serves some individuals who were previously cared for in nursing homes but many who were not. Efforts to promote substitution of HCBS for institutional care will require more proactive strategies such as diversion.

Use of mental health care by community-dwelling older adults.

OBJECTIVES: To examine relationships between perceived need for care, illness characteristics, attitudes toward care, and probability that older adults will use mental health care (MHC). DESIGN: Secondary data analysis. SETTING: The Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiology Surveys (2001-2003). PARTICIPANTS: One thousand six hundred eighty-one community-dwelling adults aged 65 and older. MEASUREMENTS: Self-reported MHC use and perceived need for care in the previous 12 months, previous year and history of mental illness, history of physical illness, attitudes toward care, and sociodemographic characteristics. RESULTS: Of the entire sample, 6.5% had received some type of MHC in the previous year, although 65.9% of those with major depressive disorder (MDD) and 72.5% with anxiety did not receive MHC. In respondents with previous-year depression or anxiety, use was less likely for those with low World Health Organization Disability Assessment Scale (WHO-DAS) self-care ability. Use was more likely for those with more chronic physical conditions and worse WHO-DAS cognitive capacity. Seventeen percent of those with perceived need for MHC did not receive it. In respondents with perceived need, subthreshold generalized anxiety disorder was associated with lower likelihood of use. Use was more likely for older respondents and those with more household members, at least a high school education, and better self-care ability. Forty-one percent of those who perceived a need for care but did not use it met previous-year diagnostic criteria for anxiety, and 17% met criteria for MDD. CONCLUSION: Understanding the perceptions that underlie individuals' health care-seeking behavior is an important step toward reducing underuse of MHC by older adults.

Perceived need for mental health care among community-dwelling older adults.

Only half of older adults with a mental disorder use mental health services, and little is known about the causes of perceived need for mental health care (MHC). We used logistic regression to examine relationships among depression, anxiety, chronic physical illness, alcohol abuse and/or dependence, sociodemographics, and perceived need among a national sample of community-dwelling individuals 65 years of age and older (the Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiology Surveys data set). Less than half of respondents with depression or anxiety perceived a need for care. Perceived need was greater for respondents with more symptoms of depression regardless of whether they met diagnostic criteria for a mental illness. History of chronic physical conditions, history of depression or anxiety, and more severe mental illness were associated with greater perceived need for MHC. Future studies of perceived need should account for individual perceptions of mental illness and treatment and the influence of social networks.

We've looked at care from both sides now: the effects of alternative evaluation strategies on study conclusions.

This study uses two studies about the role of managed-care programs in serving Medicaid long-term care clients in Florida to illustrate how different research designs can reach divergent conclusions. Two reports from different groups using essentially the same database to assess the impact of managed care on a group of older Medicaid clients served by a Nursing Home Diversion Program reached different conclusions. The report from Florida's Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability concluded that the Diversion program saved money, whereas the report from the Florida Policy Exchange Center on Aging at the University of South Florida reached basically the opposite conclusion. Both agreed that the capitation rate was too high. How the policy questions are framed and analyzed can affect the conclusions reached. A variety of factors can influence the apparent effects of programmatic interventions. Evaluations must take relevant confounding variables into account.

Identifying the barriers and challenges to voting by residents in nursing homes and assisted living settings.

To ascertain the need for and to inform development of guidelines for voting in long-term care settings, we conducted a telephone survey of Philadelphia nursing (n = 31) and assisted living (n = 20) settings following the 2003 election. Substantial variability existed in procedures used for registration and voting, in staff attitudes, and in the estimated proportion of residents who voted (29%+/-28, range 0-100%). Residents who wanted to vote were unable to do so at nearly one-third of sites, largely due to procedural problems. Nearly two-thirds of facilities indicated they assessed residents' voting capacity before the election. However, methods differed and may have disenfranchised residents who were actually competent to vote. Current procedures in many facilities fail to protect voting rights. These data suggest that rights might be better protected if election officials took charge of registration, filing absentee ballot requests, ballot completion, and trained LTC facility staff on voters' rights and reasonable accommodations.

Effects of Green House nursing homes on residents' families.

A longitudinal quasi-experimental study with two comparison groups was conducted to test the effects of a Green House (GH) nursing home program on residents' family members. The GHs are individual residences, each serving 10 elders, where certified nursing assistant (CNA)-level resident assistants form primary relationships with residents and family, family is encouraged to visits, and professionals adapted their roles to support the model. GH family were somewhat less involved in providing assistance to their residents although family contact did not differ among the settings at any time period. GH family were more satisfied with their resident's care and with their own experience as family members, and had no greater family burden. Issues in studying family outcomes are discussed as well as implications for roles of various personnel, including social service and activities staff in a GH model.

Resident outcomes in small-house nursing homes: a longitudinal evaluation of the initial green house program.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the effects of a small-house nursing home model, THE GREEN HOUSE (GH), on residents' reported outcomes and quality of care. DESIGN: Two-year longitudinal quasi-experimental study comparing GH residents with residents at two comparison sites using data collected at baseline and three follow-up intervals. SETTING: Four 10-person GHs, the sponsoring nursing home for those GHs, and a traditional nursing home with the same owner. PARTICIPANTS: All residents in the GHs (40 at any time) at baseline and three 6-month follow-up intervals, and 40 randomly selected residents in each of the two comparison groups. INTERVENTION: The GH alters the physical scale environment (small-scale, private rooms and bathrooms, residential kitchen, dining room, and hearth), the staffing model for professional and certified nursing assistants, and the philosophy of care. MEASUREMENTS: Scales for 11 domains of resident quality of life, emotional well-being, satisfaction, self-reported health, and functional status were derived from interviews at four points in time. Quality of care was measured using indicators derived from Minimum Data Set assessments. RESULTS: Controlling for baseline characteristics (age, sex, activities of daily living, date of admission, and proxy interview status), statistically significant differences in self-reported dimensions of quality of life favored the GHs over one or both comparison groups. The quality of care in the GHs at least equaled, and for change in functional status exceeded, the comparison nursing homes. CONCLUSION: The GH is a promising model to improve quality of life for nursing home residents, with implications for staff development and medical director roles.

Assisted living literature through May 2004: taking stock.

PURPOSE: This article assesses the state of research on assisted living (AL) from 1989 to May 2004. DESIGN AND METHODS: We undertook keyword searches for AL research and amplified these with searches of Web sites, conference proceedings, and follow-up inquiries. We annotated and coded the resultant items according to categories reflecting the research methods used and the topics studied. We did additional comparisons for 38 studies with quantitative data that permitted summarizing resident characteristics, settings, and entry and move-out patterns. RESULTS: The 411 identified items ranged across a large number of topics. Qualitative studies outnumbered quantitative ones, and longitudinal studies were rare. We found little standardization in the way variables were measured, making cross-study comparisons difficult. As AL research has become more common, some items are directed at studying ways to proceed within AL as opposed to globally commenting on the worth of AL as a service sector. IMPLICATIONS: The research base for AL has grown rapidly but is still underdeveloped. We recommend using more consistent sets of standardized measures in AL studies and reporting analyses based on them. We also recommend fuller reporting of details on sampling, time frames, and measures in AL research.

Developing a research agenda for assisted living.

PURPOSE: We describe an approach to identifying knowledge gaps, research questions, and methodological issues for assisted living (AL) research. DESIGN AND METHODS: We undertook an inventory of AL literature and research in progress and commissioned background papers critiquing knowledge on selected subtopics. With an advisory committee, we identified a comprehensive list of researchable questions of potential utility to consumers, providers, and/or policy makers, which AL researchers then rated as to their importance. The preliminary work facilitated a structured working conference of AL researchers. RESULTS: The top five priority topics identified as a result of the polling before the conference were consumer preferences, cost and financing, developing an information system for consumer decision making, developing quality measures, and resident outcomes. From conference discussion, conferees added other emphasis areas and refined the original ones. They flagged lack of standardized definitions and measures as barriers to building an empirically based AL literature. Conferees also identified distinctions between research on AL as a whole and research on interventions within AL. IMPLICATIONS: In an emerging area in which the literature cannot yet support rigorous comparisons, meta-analysis, or consensus conferences, the systematic approaches, including assembling researchers who use widely different methods, generated substantial agreement on a research agenda.

Resident and family perspectives on assisted living.

This research describes and compares the relative importance residents and family members place on attributes of the environment, the programs, and the policies of assisted living; describes their satisfaction with these features; and identifies factors associated with congruence between residents' and family members' ratings of importance and satisfaction. Both residents and their family members had high importance and satisfaction ratings. Family members gave the assisted living setting lower satisfaction ratings on all features than did residents. Congruence ranged from 34% to 71% for importance items and from 29% to 63% for satisfaction. Female residents, affectionate family relationships, and residing in an AL owned by a chain were positively associated with congruence on importance items, while resident and family education, resident income, and family involvement were negatively associated with congruence on importance items. For congruence on satisfaction items, having an affectionate relationship was positively associated and higher ADL dependency, more family involvement at the facility, and family members who viewed the facility as a safe place were negatively associated with congruence. This study makes a major stride forward because cognitively intact residents' perspectives are compared and contrasted with their own family members' perspectives, thus showing that residents and family members are two distinct groups, each with a unique set of preferences.