TRANSFER OF MULTIMORBIDE GERIATRIC-PATIEN TS FROM HOSPITAL TO NURSING-HOME

Aging is accompanied by health deterioration and different illness tak e a chronical course leading to progressive inability. Acute illnesses as well as a slightly deteriorated state of health of geriatric patie nts are often a reason for hospitalisation. For a variety of reasons p articularly the very old patients have to be transferred directly from hospital to a nursing home. The proper transfer from hospital to a nu rsing home ist often difficult to plan and organize. A study conducted on nursing home-confined 225 multimorbid geriatric patients, aimed at improving the tradeoff between nursing home transfer avoidance, timel y planning of the transfer and transfer strategy. The main result is t hat for a number of patients taken under study improved care during ho spitalisation and following discharge may avoid the transfer to a nurs ing home. However, for those patients requiring transfer to a nursing home improving of the transfer procedure is possible and may contribue to a successful beginning of the nursing home stay.