Table 2.
Characteristics of older adults with dementia and care intensity by continuity of nursing care
| Continuity of nursing care† |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st tertile | 2nd tertile | 3rd tertile | |
| Age (Mean, SD) | 82.07 (8.47) | 82.52 (8.57) | 82.42 (8.45) |
| Male ** | 2812 (35.32%) | 2780 (34.90%) | 2929 (36.8%) |
| Race * | |||
| White | 3047 (38.27%) | 3086 (38.74%) | 3118 (39.18%) |
| Black | 2008 (25.22%) | 1774 (22.27%) | 1789 (22.48%) |
| Hispanic | 2359 (29.63%) | 2518 (31.61%) | 2289 (28.76%) |
| Other | 548 (6.88%) | 587 (7.37%) | 763 (9.59%) |
| Insurance *** | |||
| Medicare | 5786 (72.67%) | 5768 (72.42%) | 5556 (69.81%) |
| Medicaid | 329 (4.13%) | 297 (3.73%) | 353 (4.44%) |
| Dual | 949 (11.92%) | 1186 (14.89%) | 1149 (14.44%) |
| Other | 898 (11.28%) | 714 (8.96%) | 901 (11.32%) |
| Multiple hospitalizations (>=2) in the past 12 months | 3221 (40.45%) | 3226 (40.5%) | 3141 (39.46%) |
| History of falls (>=2 falls or any fall with an injury) in the past 12 months | 1694 (21.28%) | 1647 (20.68%) | 1594 (20.03%) |
| Taking 5 or more medications ** | 6021 (75.62%) | 6188 (77.69%) | 5999 (75.37%) |
| Presence of frailty indicators *** | 2813 (35.33%) | 2808 (35.25%) | 2602 (32.69%) |
| Functional status (Mean, SD) *** | 3.76 (2.04) | 3.83 (2.05) | 2.05 (2.05) |
| Overall status | |||
| No or temporary high health risk(s) | 6190 (77.74%) | 6142 (77.11%) | 6210 (78.02%) |
| Fragile with ongoing high risk(s) or serious progressive conditions | 1772 (22.26%) | 1823 (22.89%) | 1749 (21.98%) |
| Pain daily/all of the time | 2796 (35.12%) | 2815 (35.34%) | 2724 (34.23%) |
| Presence of pressure ulcer *** | 1000 (12.56%) | 1060 (13.31%) | 705 (8.86%) |
| Surgery wound* | 1118 (14.04%) | 1154 (14.49%) | 1047 (13.15%) |
| Presence of urinary incontinence *** | 4984 (62.6%) | 5102 (64.06%) | 4692 (58.95%) |
| Shortness of breath *** | |||
| No short of breath | 4270 (53.63%) | 4152 (52.13%) | 4032 (50.66%) |
| walking >20 feet | 1806 (22.68%) | 1845 (23.16%) | 1766 (22.19%) |
| moderate/minimal exertion or at rest | 1886 (23.69%) | 1968 (24.71%) | 2161 (27.15%) |
| Anxiety | |||
| None of the time | 5008 (62.9%) | 4910 (61.64%) | 4892 (61.47%) |
| less often than daily | 1549 (19.45%) | 1617 (20.3%) | 1563 (19.64%) |
| Daily or all the time | 1405 (17.65%) | 1438 (18.05%) | 1504 (18.9%) |
| Number of comorbidities *** | |||
| 0 | 326 (4.09%) | 235 (2.95%) | 303 (3.81%) |
| 1 | 1289 (16.19%) | 1086 (13.63%) | 1148 (14.42%) |
| 2 | 2026 (25.45%) | 1968 (24.71%) | 2089 (26.25%) |
| >=3 | 4321 (54.27%) | 4676 (58.71%) | 4419 (55.52%) |
| Live alone*** | 2958 (37.15%) | 3183 (39.96%) | 3159 (39.69%) |
| Caregiving/assistance in ADLs or IADLs | 7611 (95.59%) | 7614 (95.59%) | 7640 (95.99%) |
| Length of home health stay, days (Media, IQR) *** | 33 (19-52%) | 43 (29-60) | 33 (21-52) |
| Intensity of home health care | |||
| Intensity of nursing care (Mean, SD) *** | 1.28 (1.05) | 1.26 (0.81) | 1.13 (0.75) |
| Intensity of non-nursing skilled care (Mean, SD) *** | 0.66 (0.67) | 0.70 (0.65) | 0.71 (0.67) |
| Intensity of home health aide assistance (Mean, SD) *** | 8.25 (18.53) | 11.02 (20.62) | 8.69 (18.62) |
*
p<0.05,
**
p<0.01,
***
p<0.001
†
a higher score indicates a higher level of continuity of nursing care
Functional status was based on measures of activities of daily living.
ADLs, activities of daily living; IADLs, instrumental activities of daily living; IQR, interquartile range; SD, standard deviation.