Outcome trajectories for assisted living and nursing facility residents inOregon

Objective. To compare assisted living residents and nursing home residents on outcome trajectories for three outcomes: ability to perform activities o f daily living (ADLs), psychological well-being, and pain and discomfort. Data Sources/Study Setting. A representative sample of one-third of the cen sus from 38 participating assisted living facilities (N = 605) and two-fift hs of the census from 31 participating nursing facilities (N = 610). Study Design. A longitudinal design using hierarchical linear models to exa mine how setting (being in an assisted living setting or in a nursing home) affected growth trajectories for each outcome studied when adjusting for o ther resident characteristics. Data Collection. Residents or their proxies were interviewed and chart revi ews done at baseline, six months, and one year. All baseline data were coll ected between August 1995 and May 1996. Principal Findings. We found differences in case mix between assisted livin g and nursing facility residents but no differences in outcome trajectories for ADLs, psychological well-being, and pain and discomfort. For ADLs and pain and discomfort on average, residents in both settings experienced chan ge over the study period. For psychological well-being, residents experienc ed no change on average. Conclusions. The lack of difference in growth trajectories for ADLs, pain a nd discomfort, and psychological well-being between the two settings was no teworthy.