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Hospitalization and associated factors in people with Alzheimer's disease residing in a long‐term care facility in southern Taiwan
Author(s) -
Lin ChuSheng,
Lin ShihYi,
Chou MingYueh,
Chen LiangYu,
Wang KueiYu,
Chen LiangKung,
Lin YuTe,
Loh ChingHui
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
geriatrics and gerontology international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.823
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1447-0594
pISSN - 1444-1586
DOI - 10.1111/ggi.13033
Subject(s) - medicine , dementia , malnutrition , body mass index , odds ratio , population , gerontology , falling (accident) , disease , pediatrics , psychiatry , environmental health
Aim It has been reported that many people with dementia require hospitalizations. The objective of the present study was to determine predictive factors for hospitalizations in people with dementia. Methods A total of 70 individuals with dementia living in a veterans’ home in southern Taiwan were consecutively enrolled. During prospective follow up, all hospitalization events were recorded. Results The mean age of residents with dementia was 86.1 ± 4.0 years, and the mean follow‐up time for this population was 2.2 ± 1.1 years. Among individuals, 62.9% suffered from malnutrition or were at risk of malnutrition (minimal nutritional assessment‐short form score ≤11), and 8.6% of individuals had a body mass index of <18.5 Kg/m 2 . There were 52 (74.3%) individuals who had previously fallen. Overall, 51 of 70 residents were hospitalized during the follow‐up period. In those individuals with previous falls, there was a significantly increased risk of hospitalization (odds ratio 5.61, 95% CI 1.18–26.7). Furthermore, three factors were significantly associated with the risk of fall, including handgrip strength, malnutrition and Mini‐Mental State Examination score. Conclusions The results of the present study showed that hospitalization was a frequent event in residents with dementia living in a long‐term care facility. The major predictor for hospital admission was history of a previous fall. Screening those with dementia for history of injurious falls and associated risk factors for falling could help identify those at risk of hospitalization, thus necessitating a comprehensive intervention to reduce hospitalization. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17 (Suppl. 1): 50–56.