Care Transitions to the Community from Veterans Affairs Nursing Homes: Experiences of Social Connection and Disconnection.
Kelsey V Simons, Emily S Bower, Suzanne M Gillespie and 1 others
PMID 32943341WHAT IT FOUND
Veterans often lost the social contact they had in a VA nursing home after discharge.
Some were isolated without calling it lonely. Ask about daily routines and supports, not just loneliness.
Key findings
01Veterans often described the CLC stay as a period of social connection with other residents and staff.
02After discharge, Veterans' social engagement and activity varied, and health and functional limitations prevented many from being as active as they had been.
03Some Veterans described isolation or mainly individual activities without saying they felt lonely.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The sample was small and purposive: 18 Veterans completed the study and 14 caregivers were interviewed. Three of 21 Veterans did not complete postdischarge interviews. Participants came from rural Veterans Affairs nursing home units, so experiences may differ in urban or suburban settings. The Veterans were mostly male, white, and Vietnam-era, so findings may not apply to non-Veterans, older women, or people with moderate to severe cognitive impairment. Depression and cognitive screens were done only after discharge, so the study cannot show how these scores changed from the nursing home stay. Paid caregivers were excluded, so the findings may not reflect Veterans discharged to paid support. The study did not test a discharge intervention, so it cannot show whether asking about social connection improves outcomes.
Declared interests
No author conflict-of-interest statement is included in the supplied text. The article is listed as research support from the U.S. Government, non-PHS.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the positive nursing home social experiences as evidence that a discharge intervention works. The study used interviews with 18 Veterans and 14 caregivers and did not test a treatment.