Life-Space of Older Adults after Discharge from Skilled Nursing Facilities.
Ayomide Okanlawon Bankole, Ying Zhang, Di Hu and 3 others
PMID 38378158WHAT IT FOUND
Thirty days after skilled nursing facility discharge, older adults in this study had very limited life-space: mean score 22.6 on a 0 to 120 scale.
Many needed equipment or another person to move. Higher cognitive test scores and shorter stay were associated with better scores.
Key findings
01At 30 days after discharge, the mean Composite LSA score was 22.6 on a 0 to 120 scale, with a range of 0 to 90.
02Most patients could not move beyond their bedroom, house, and yard without assistance of another person (76.3%), and only 15% could move outside their bedrooms without equipment or support.
03Each one-point increase in the mental status score (BIMS) was associated with 2.45 point higher Composite LSA score, and each additional week of stay with −1.14 point lower score.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study included only 6 skilled nursing facilities in one state, and average life-space scores did not vary much between facilities. Life-space was measured only once, 30 days after discharge. Patients without 30-day life-space data more frequently had infections (31.7% versus 22.4%). The sample was younger than a larger skilled nursing facility study: 56.7% were aged 75 years or older versus 73.1%; 25.3% were Black versus 13.4%; 8.6% were dual eligible versus 20%. Data were collected during the COVID-19 pandemic, when restrictions and limited home health services may have affected mobility and life-space scores. The analysis was observational and secondary, so associations do not show cause.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the low life-space scores as proof that patients cannot improve or that longer stay caused them. Scores were measured only once at 30 days during pandemic restrictions, and this was a secondary analysis, not a test of treatment effects.