Prevalence and characteristics of nursing home residents needing light-care
Published On: 06-01-2005
Rising nursing home (NH) costs and the poor quality of NH care make it important to recognize elders for whom NH care may be inappropriate. As a first step in developing a method to identify these elders, we examined the characteristics of NH residents requiring light-care and changes in their care level from NH admission to 12-months. Using data from the Missouri Minimal Data Set electronic database, we developed three care-level categories based on Resource Use Groups, Version III (RUG-III) and defined light-care NH residents as those requiring minimal assistance with late-loss ADLs (bed mobility, transfer, toilet use, or eating) and having no complex clinical problems. Approximately 16% of Missouri NH residents met the criteria for light-care. They had few functional problems with mobility, personal care, communication, or incontinence; approximately 33% had difficulty maintaining balance without assistance; and 50% of those admitted as light-care were still light-care at 12-months. Findings suggest that many NH residents classified as light-care by these criteria could be cared for in community settings offering fewer services than NHs.
Grando, V., Rantz, M., Petroski, G., Maas, M., Popejoy, L., & Conn, V., & Wipke-Tevis, D. (2005). Prevalence and characteristics of nursing home residents needing light-care. Research in Nursing and Health, 28, 210-221.
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