Innovative dementia care: functional status over time of persons with Alzheimer disease in a residential care centre compared to special care units.

Residential care centres (RCCs) for persons with Alzheimer disease are increasing worldwide, but there are few studies that compare the functional outcomes of RCC residents to residents of other types of continuing care settings. This study compared residents of the first Canadian RCC on physical, cognitive, behavioural and emotional functioning 6, 12 and 18 months after admission to residents of special care units (SCUs) operated by the same continuing care provider. SCU residents were initially functioning lower than RCC residents on most outcome measures and these differences persisted over time. Resident functioning declined over time regardless of care setting and, when the initial status was controlled for, the rates of decline were similar. However, RCC residents experienced greater independence/freedom of choice, fewer physical or psychotropic medication restraints and were more active, which may have enhanced their quality of life.

Integrated health information systems based on the RAI/MDS series of instruments.

There is a growing need for an integrated health information system to be used in community, institutional and hospital based settings. For example, changes in the structure, process and venues of service delivery mean that individuals with similar needs may be cared for in a variety of different settings. Moreover, as people make transitions from one sector of the healthcare system to another, there is a need for comparable information to ensure continuity of care and reduced assessment burden. The RAI/MDS series of assessment instruments comprise an integrated health information system because they have consistent terminology, common core items, and a common conceptual basis in a clinical approach that emphasizes the identification of functional problems.

Involving stakeholders in health services research: developing Alberta's resident classification system for long-term care facilities.

Little attention has been directed in Canada to identifying stakeholders at the administrative policy level to whom relevant health services research information can be targeted. This article describes a case study in which key stakeholders (long-term care facility owners, operators, and care providers) were explicitly defined not only as targets of original research information to inform administrative public policy but also as collaborators in the research process and dissemination of results. The research involved development of a classification system to measure resident care requirements in the province's nursing homes and auxiliary hospitals. The classification system formed the basis of a new government administrative policy for allocating public funds to these facilities based on levels of care. The authors describe the rationale for involving stakeholders in the research process, the role of stakeholders as collaborators, and lessons learned from the Alberta experience. Examples are presented of how stakeholders can contribute to the health services research process and outcome: by providing experiential knowledge related to the research outcome, anticipating and overcoming potential problems with policy implementation, facilitating policy-oriented learning across stakeholder groups, assisting in the transfer of research information to wider stakeholder audiences, and promoting acceptance for policy change.