The following article contains technical research provided by the National Institute on Aging. The bottom line is that in the Lehigh Valley, nursing home residents with Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia have better outcomes when their facility specializes in dementia care, as is the case with South Mountain Memory Care in Emmaus.
The prevalence of dementia is expected to increase over the coming decades, and with it, the need for specialized care in nursing homes is growing. Currently, fewer than 5% of all nursing home beds are in dementia special care units, and evidence of the quality of care they provide has been inconclusive.
To address this gap, a research team led by scientists at the University of California, Irvine, set out to determine how many nursing home residents with dementia — defined in this study as a person with a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s, a related dementia, or moderate to severe cognitive impairment — lived in a setting where they were in the majority. Next, they assessed whether the proportion of residents with dementia influenced the quality of care for those with the condition.
Researchers found that most nursing homes had residents living with dementia, ranging from under 10% to over 90% of total residents, with the majority caring for between 31% and 80%, and only 4% of nursing homes caring almost exclusively for dementia residents.
Researchers examined care quality measures and found that nursing homes where more than 90% of residents have dementia seem to provide better dementia care than nursing homes with a lower proportion of residents with the condition. For example, hospitalization and emergency department admissions for residents with dementia dropped rapidly as the proportion of these residents increased. Also, facilities with the highest proportion (90% or more) of residents with dementia had significantly higher-skilled nursing hours per resident than those with lower percentages. Within these facilities, 35% had special dementia care units, compared to only 20% of the facilities with 60% to 90% of residents with dementia.
While there are people with dementia in most nursing homes, they may be less likely to receive specialized care in facilities where residents with dementia are not in the majority. Future research is needed to determine how to improve care, quality of life, and health outcomes for nursing home residents with Alzheimer’s or a related dementia. Addressing these questions may help inform ongoing efforts to establish staffing standards for nursing homes in the U.S., suggesting that different standards may be appropriate for supporting care for residents with dementia.
South Mountain Memory Care is committed to providing individualized, compassionate care to support our residents in achieving a well-balanced lifestyle. We strive to allow our residents to remain independent while emphasizing safety. Our focus is to enrich their lives, mind, body, and spirit by bringing new initiatives to their day-to-day regimen while maintaining the activities they find comfort in. South Mountain Memory Care offers the peace of mind you deserve. When it comes to those you care so deeply about, we understand—because we care, too.