Who determines the rehabilitation needs of care home residents? An observational survey

• Published in: Archives of gerontology and geriatrics 2011-03, Vol.52 (2), p.138-141
• Main Authors: Chang, Yung-Yun, Peng, Li-Ning, Lin, Ming-Hsien, Lai, Hsiu-Yun, Chen, Liang-Kung, Hwang, Shinn-Jang, Lan, Chung-Fu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Activities of Daily Living; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Caregivers; Carers; Cost effectiveness; Geriatric Assessment; Health Care Surveys; Health Services for the Aged - organization & administration; Health Services Needs and Demand; Homes for the Aged; Humans; Long term care; Male; Needs Assessment; Nursing Homes; Rehabilitation; Residential care; Self Concept; Veterans
• ISSN: 0167-4943; 1872-6976
• DOI: 10.1016/j.archger.2010.03.002

Determining the rehabilitation needs is of great importance in long-term care setting, but the perception of rehabilitation needs may vary extensively between service provider and recipients. The purpose of this study was to assess the differences between the self-perceived and carer-evaluated rehabilitation needs among care home residents. Data of Longitudinal Older Veterans (LOVE) study were sorted for study. Overall, this study enrolled 581 (mean age=80.9±5.4 years) male participants. Among them, 539 (92.8%) were physically independent, and 463 (79.7%) were cognitively intact. Of these participants, 367 (63.2%) believed they would be physically improved by certain rehabilitation services, but only 57 (9.8%) residents were considered to have rehabilitation potential by their carers. Over half of physically dependent, but only 16.7% of physically independent residents were considered to have positive rehabilitation potential by their carer. Similarly, carers considered that residents with cognitive deficits were more likely to be improved by rehabilitation (24.6% vs. 6.0%, p