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Recent Trends in Advance Directives at Nursing Home Admission and One Year After Admission

Correspondence: Address correspondence to William J. McAuley, PhD, Departments of Sociology/Anthropology and Communication, Center for Social Science Research, George Mason University, 4260 Chain Bridge Road, MSN 1H5, Fairfax, VA 22030. E-mail: wmcauley{at}gmu.edu

Purpose: Advance directives are important planning and decision-making tools for individuals in nursing homes. Design and Methods: By using the nursing facility Minimum Data Set, we examined the prevalence of advance directives at admission and 12 months post-admission. Results: The prevalence of having any advance directive at admission declined slightly from 2000 to 2004, whereas the prevalence of having any advanced directive at 12 months after admission increased slightly during the same period. Compared with admissions, residents at 12 months post-admission were more likely to have their decisions made by family members and to have advance directives of any type. Implications: The results suggest that greater use of advance directives in nursing homes may depend on additional information and support from nursing facility personnel and the health and social services professionals who are in contact with individuals moving toward nursing home admission, as well as those who remain in facilities over time.

Key Words: Long-term care • Health care decisions • End of life • Late-life long-term care