FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO NURSING-HOME ADMISSION BECAUSE OF DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIOR

The key relative of 417 nursing home residents was interviewed to dete rmine reasons for admission and patient behaviour before admission usi ng the Psychogeriatric Dependency Rating Scale (PGDRS). Families state d that 25% of new nursing home admissions were due to disruptive behav iour but there were nearly always other reasons for admission as well. A receiver operating characteristic curve and cluster analysis showed that a greater amount of generalized behaviour problems predicted adm ission in the 74% of new residents. Admission because of disruptive be haviour was associated with greater cognitive impairment, possible Alz heimer's disease, delusions or hallucinations, a psychiatric diagnosis , admission from home, requiring help from others before admission and a permanent move to a nursing home. Both psychiatric and social facto rs are important determinants of nursing home admission for disruptive behaviour.