Characteristics and care of US nursing home residents with a history of chronic mental illness

Little research has focussed on nursing home residents with a history inclu ding a non-dementia related chronic mental illness (HCMI) that manifested b efore placement in a nursing home. Data from the 1993 Minimum Data Set for Nursing Home Resident Assessment and Care Screening (MDS) on over 70,000 re sidents in Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, and South Dakota were used to invest igate differences in characteristics and care between these residents and m ore traditional residents. HCMI residents were more likely to be under 65 y ears of age, male, Medicaid recipients, less functionally impaired, to exhi bit higher levels of problem behaviours, and to receive psychoactive medica tions and psychological therapy, though therapy prevalence rates were low. These data may indicate that appropriate care for HCMI residents is a conce rn.