The Gerontologist, Vol 39, Issue 6 677-686, Copyright © 1999 by The Gerontological Society of America

ARTICLES

A longitudinal study of predictors of nursing home placement for patients with dementia: the contribution of family characteristics

L Fisher and MA Lieberman
Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of California, San Francisco 94143, USA. [email protected]

The caregivers of elderly patients with dementia (N = 164) were followed for 2 years to determine if characteristics of the multigeneration family predicted nursing home placement (NHP) over and above the effects of patient demographics, severity of patient disease, and characteristics of caregivers. Clinical assessment occurred at baseline, and caregivers were assessed by questionnaire and interview at baseline and every 6 months. No patient demographic, severity, or caregiver characteristic significantly predicted NHP. Families scoring high on emotional closeness, high on negative family feelings, and low on family efficiency institutionalized their ill elders at a significantly higher rate than other families, especially at low levels of patient severity. The findings argue that a careful examination of the multigeneration family should increase the prediction of NHP and the relevance of services offered to these families.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				R. K. Scherer, N. Scarmeas, J. Brandt, D. Blacker, M. S. Albert, and Y. Stern The Relation of Patient Dependence to Home Health Aide Use in Alzheimer's Disease J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci., September 1, 2008; 63(9): 1005 - 1009. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. E. Gaugler, A. M. Pot, and S. H. Zarit Long-Term Adaptation to Institutionalization in Dementia Caregivers Gerontologist, December 1, 2007; 47(6): 730 - 740. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				N. Muramatsu, H. Yin, R. T. Campbell, R. L. Hoyem, M. A. Jacob, and C. O. Ross Risk of Nursing Home Admission Among Older Americans: Does States' Spending on Home- and Community-Based Services Matter? J. Gerontol. B. Psychol. Sci. Soc. Sci., May 1, 2007; 62(3): S169 - S178. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. S. Mittelman, W. E. Haley, O. J. Clay, and D. L. Roth Improving caregiver well-being delays nursing home placement of patients with Alzheimer disease. Neurology, November 14, 2006; 67(9): 1592 - 1599. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Davey, E. E. Femia, S. H. Zarit, D. G. Shea, G. Sundstrom, S. Berg, M. A. Smyer, and J. Savla Life on the Edge: Patterns of Formal and Informal Help to Older Adults in the United States and Sweden J. Gerontol. B. Psychol. Sci. Soc. Sci., September 1, 2005; 60(5): S281 - S288. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. E. Gaugler, R. L. Kane, R. A. Kane, and R. Newcomer Early Community-Based Service Utilization and Its Effects on Institutionalization in Dementia Caregiving Gerontologist, April 1, 2005; 45(2): 177 - 185. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D Craig, D J Hart, K McCool, S P McIlroy, and A P Passmore Apolipoprotein E e4 allele influences aggressive behaviour in Alzheimer's disease J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatry, September 1, 2004; 75(9): 1327 - 1330. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Stevens, J. Owen, D. Roth, O. Clay, A. Bartolucci, and W. Haley Predictors of Time to Nursing Home Placement in White and African American Individuals With Dementia J Aging Health, June 1, 2004; 16(3): 375 - 397. [Abstract] [PDF]

				J. E. Gaugler, R. L. Kane, R. A. Kane, T. Clay, and R. Newcomer Caregiving and Institutionalization of Cognitively Impaired Older People: Utilizing Dynamic Predictors of Change Gerontologist, April 1, 2003; 43(2): 219 - 229. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. B. Tornatore and L. A. Grant Burden Among Family Caregivers of Persons With Alzheimer's Disease in Nursing Homes Gerontologist, August 1, 2002; 42(4): 497 - 506. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. Yaffe, P. Fox, R. Newcomer, L. Sands, K. Lindquist, K. Dane, and K. E. Covinsky Patient and Caregiver Characteristics and Nursing Home Placement in Patients With Dementia JAMA, April 24, 2002; 287(16): 2090 - 2097. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. A. Lieberman and L. Fisher The Effects of Nursing Home Placement on Family Caregivers of Patients With Alzheimer's Disease Gerontologist, December 1, 2001; 41(6): 819 - 826. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				G. E. Smith, P. C. O'Brien, R. J. Ivnik, E. Kokmen, and E. G. Tangalos Prospective analysis of risk factors for nursing home placement of dementia patients Neurology, October 23, 2001; 57(8): 1467 - 1473. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]