Improving the health, function, and quality of life of older Americans is a key goal of Healthy People 2020, a national health promotion initiative established by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. As older adults represent one of the fastest growing age groups, addressing their medical care and long-term care needs will only become more important.
A new study by Gilbert Gimm and Panagiota Kitsantas, both of the Department of Health Administration and Policy, examines hospitalization risk factors for older and younger adults in residential care facilities. The study is published in the International Journal of Aging and Human Development.
Using data from the 2010 National Survey of Residential Care Facilities (NSRCF), administered by the National Center for Health Statistics, the authors conducted logistic regression analyses to examine risk factors for 7,895 residents in assisted living and other residential care facilities.
“Very few studies in the literature have assessed hospitalization risk factors for younger and older adult groups,” Gimm said. “Our research examined falls, dementia, and other chronic conditions as risk factors for younger and older Americans in residential care facilities.”
The study found that nearly 24 percent (1,814) of residents had a hospital stay in the past year, and residents who experienced falls were more than twice as likely to have a hospital stay in every age group. The analysis also determined that for younger residents, depression was a key risk factor; however, older residents with dementia had a lower risk of hospitalization. Residents who had three or more functional limitations in their activities of daily living were also more likely to have a hospital stay.
“These results suggest that specific risk factors can be used to identify assisted living residents who are at high risk of hospitalization,” Gimm said. “Prevention efforts, such as physical safety enhancements to reduce falls and increased monitoring of younger residents with depression or dementia, can help to improve residents’ quality of life and reduce the risk of hospitalization.”