No abstract

Pneumonia is a leading cause of death among nursing home residents; consequently, prevention and treatment are important for quality improvement. To be pragmatic, quality improvement depends on sensitive case identification using nursing home records; however, no studies have examined the reliability of different methods of pneumonia case finding from records. The current authors compared three established strategies for defining pneumonia using records from 1,119 residents across 16 nursing homes: recorded diagnosis of pneumonia, modified McGeer criteria (chest x-ray infiltrate plus specified signs/symptoms), and antibiotic prescription plus pneumonia-specific signs. Chart diagnosis detected 107 cases, modified McGeer criteria detected 84 cases, and antibiotic prescription detected 47 cases. Diagnosis included all cases identified by the McGeer criteria and all but one case identified by antibiotic use. Based on findings, recorded diagnosis of pneumonia is a highly sensitive and pragmatic method to ascertain pneumonia in nursing homes, and is recommended for use in quality improvement and research. [Res Gerontol Nurs. 2016; 9(3):109-114.].

Adult foster care homes in the United States are small residential care settings typically smaller than six beds that provide long‐term services and supports to one or more persons in a communal setting. Residents are most often dependent older adults with limited financial resources. Adult foster care homes are a hybrid of informal care usually provided by relatives, with supportive care instead provided by formal (paid) caregivers. They are considered a type of residential care/assisted living setting, most notably distinguished from other assisted living settings by their smaller size. These homes aim to help residents safely age in place and offer 24‐hour oversight in addition to room and board. Adults who live in adult foster care homes require assistance with activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living. Most homes are private pay and many accept Medicaid. Presently, more than 19,000 adult foster care homes provide care for more than 64,000 persons.

No abstract

No abstract