Factors Associated With the Quality of Staff-Resident Interactions in Assisted Living.

This was a cross-sectional secondary analysis of baseline data, so it cannot show that agitation, age, or facility ownership caused the interaction quality. Interactions were observed for only about 20 minutes, and staff may have behaved differently when watched. The sample was mostly female, White, and non-Hispanic, and the residents came from 59 assisted living facilities, so the findings may not apply to more diverse settings. Depressive symptoms and resistiveness to care were rare in this sample, so the lack of association may not rule out effects in residents with more of these problems. Staffing levels, staff training, and other staff factors were not measured, even though they could influence interactions. The measured factors together accounted for only 8.2% of the differences in interaction scores, leaving much unexplained.

The authors declared no conflicts of interest.

Do not conclude that agitation causes poor interactions or that for-profit ownership improves care. This was a cross-sectional observation of brief 20-minute interactions, so it shows associations at one time point, not causes.