Long-Term Care Residents' Geriatric Syndromes at Admission and Disablement Over Time: An Observational Cohort Study

• Published in: The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences Biological sciences and medical sciences, 2019-05, Vol.74 (6), p.917-923
• Main Authors: Lane, Natasha E, Stukel, Thérèse A, Boyd, Cynthia M, Wodchis, Walter P
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Activities of Daily Living; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Balance; Chronic Pain - epidemiology; Cognitive ability; Cognitive Dysfunction - epidemiology; Cohort analysis; Cohort Studies; Disability Evaluation; Female; Geriatrics; Humans; Long term health care; Long-Term Care; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Muscle function; Neuropsychological Tests; Nursing Homes; Observational studies; Older people; Ontario - epidemiology; Pain; Patient Admission; Postural Balance; Regression analysis; The Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences
• ISSN: 1079-5006; 1758-535X
• DOI: 10.1093/gerona/gly151

Disablement occurs when people lose their ability to perform activities of daily living (ADLs) like bathing and dressing, and is measured as the rate of increasing disability over time. We examined whether balance impairment, cognitive impairment, or pain among residents at admission to long-term care homes were predictive of their rate of disablement over the subsequent 2 years. Linked administrative databases were used to conduct a longitudinal cohort study of 12,334 residents admitted to 633 long-term care (LTC) homes between April 1, 2011 and March 31, 2012, in Ontario, Canada. Residents received an admission assessment of disability upon admission to LTC using the RAI-MDS 2.0 ADL long-form score (ADL LFS, range 0-28) and at least two subsequent disability assessments. Multivariable regression models estimated the adjusted association between balance impairment, cognitive impairment, and pain present at admission and residents' subsequent disablement over 2 years. This population sample of newly admitted Ontario long-term care residents had a median disability score of 13 (interquartile range [IQR] = 7, 19) at admission. Greater balance impairment and cognitive impairment at admission were significantly associated with faster resident disablement over 2 years in adjusted models, while daily pain was not. Balance impairment and cognitive impairment among newly admitted long-term care home residents are associated with increased rate of disablement over the following 2 years. Further research should examine the mechanisms driving this association and identify whether they are amenable to intervention.