Quality of Nursing Homes and Admission of Residents With Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias: The Potential Influence of Market Factors and State Policies

Describing Dementia Specialty Care Units in US Nursing Homes: Leveraging National Survey Data From HARBORS and LTCfocus

OBJECTIVES

Nursing home dementia specialty care units are highly publicized as beneficial for residents with dementia, but we know little about these units and what makes them "special." Leveraging primary data from a national survey of nursing home representatives and the LTCfocus data, this study aims to describe characteristics and features of dementia specialty care units and examine variations in nursing home quality ratings.

DESIGN

National survey.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

Nationally, 256 nursing homes were randomly selected. Surveys with questions about dementia specialty care units were mailed to nursing home representatives in September/November 2023.

METHODS

A total of 166 surveys were returned from 126 nursing homes and compared with LTCfocus data. Descriptive statistics and qualitative analyses were used to analyze data.

RESULTS

A total of 105 (83.3%) respondents corroborated with LTCfocus data (kappa = 0.67, P < .05) regarding presence of dementia specialty care units. Of 21 respondents (16.7%) not corroborating, inconsistencies were almost equal regarding directions of mismatching. Seventy-seven nursing homes had dementia specialty care units, 44% of which were rated 4 to 5 stars for quality. Nonprofit nursing homes had higher star ratings compared with for-profit nursing homes. Wander gardens, interactive technologies, and restraints were used less frequently than personalized music, communal dining, locked units, outdoor access, and visiting animals on the units.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

Researchers using LTCfocus data to determine the presence of dementia specialty care units can be confident that designations are accurate. This study adds to our description of nursing home dementia specialty care units and provides insights into their presence in some nursing homes. Further research is needed to understand the relationship between profit status and quality ratings.

Telemedicine Utilization Among Residents With Alzheimer Disease and Related Dementia: Association With Nursing Home Characteristics

OBJECTIVE

To examine telemedicine use among nursing home (NH) residents with Alzheimer disease and related dementias (ADRD) and the associations with NH characteristics.

DESIGN

Observational study.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

2020-2021 Minimum Data Set 3.0, Medicare datasets, and Nursing Home Compare data were linked. A total of 10,810 NHs were identified.

METHODS

The outcome variable was the percentage of residents with ADRD who used telemedicine in an NH in a quarter. The main independent variables were NH racial and ethnic compositions (ie, percentages of Black and Hispanic residents) and NH rurality. A set of linear models with NH random effects were estimated. The analysis was stratified by COVID-19 pandemic stages, including the beginning of the pandemic [second quarter of 2020 (2020 Q2)], before and after the widespread of the COVID-19 vaccine (ie, 2020 Q3-2021 Q1 and 2021 Q2-2021 Q4).

RESULTS

The proportion of residents with ADRD in NHs who had telemedicine use declined from 35.0% in 2020 Q2 to 9.3% in 2021 Q4. After adjusting for other NH characteristics, NHs with a high proportion of Hispanic residents were 2.7 percentage points more likely to use telemedicine for residents with ADRD than those with a low proportion during 2021 Q2-2021 Q4 (P < .001), whereas NHs with a high proportion of Black residents were 1.5 percentage points less likely to use telemedicine than those with a low proportion (P < .01). Additionally, compared with metropolitan NHs, rural NHs were 6.4 percentage points less likely to use telemedicine in 2020 Q2 (P < .001), but 5.9 percentage points more likely to use telemedicine during 2021 Q2-2021 Q4 (P < .001). We also detected the relationship between telemedicine use and other NH characteristics, such as NH quality, staffing level, and Medicaid-pay days.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

The proportion of residents with ADRD in NHs who had telemedicine use decreased during the pandemic. Telemedicine could improve health care access for NHs with a high proportion of Hispanic residents and NHs in remote areas. Future studies should investigate how telemedicine use affects the health outcomes of NH residents with ADRD.

Mental Health Treatment Among Nursing Home Residents With Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias

OBJECTIVES

To examine the prevalence of mental health treatment among nursing home (NH) long-stay residents with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) and explore factors associated with utilization.

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort study. Minimum Data Set data (April 2017-September 2018), Medicare Master Beneficiary Summary File, Part B Carrier file and Part D prescription file were used to identify mental illness and ADRD diagnoses, patient characteristics, and mental health treatment.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

All US Medicare- or Medicaid-certified NHs. Fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 and older who had a quarterly or annual Minimum Data Set assessment with ADRD and were enrolled in Medicare Parts B and D. Two cohorts: residents with both ADRD and psychiatric disorders; residents with ADRD only.

METHODS

Primary outcomes: receipt of (1) any mental health treatment (medication or psychotherapy); (2) any psychotherapy in a calendar quarter.

SECONDARY OUTCOMES

antipsychotics, antidepressants, hypnotics, antiepileptics, short-session ( ≤ 30 minutes), long-session ( ≥ 45 minutes), and family/group psychotherapy. Covariates included predisposing, enabling characteristics, and needs factors. Generalized Estimating Equation models of quarterly data, nested within patients, were estimated for each outcome among each cohort.

RESULTS

Analyses included 1,913,945 resident-quarter observations from 503,077 unique NH long-stay residents. Overall, 68.5% of NH long-stay residents with ADRD have psychiatric disorders; of these, 85% received mental health treatment. African American or Hispanic residents were less likely to use antidepressants. African American residents or residents living in rural locations were less likely to receive long-session psychotherapy. Hispanic residents were more likely to receive long-session psychotherapy. Residents in minority groups were more likely to receive group/family psychotherapy.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

Most of NH long-stay residents with ADRD had psychiatric disorders and most of them received treatment. Antidepressants or long-session psychotherapy were less likely to be provided to African American residents. Factors that determine the efficacy of mental health treatment and reasons for the racial disparities require further exploration.

Source-Specific Air Pollution and Loss of Independence in Older Adults Across the US

Importance

Air pollution is a recognized risk factor associated with chronic diseases, including respiratory and cardiovascular conditions, which can lead to physical and cognitive impairments in later life. Although these losses of function, individually or in combination, reduce individuals' likelihood of living independently, little is known about the association of air pollution with this critical outcome.

Objective

To investigate associations between air pollution and loss of independence in later life.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This cohort study was conducted as part of the Environmental Predictors Of Cognitive Health and Aging study and used 1998 to 2016 data from the Health and Retirement Study. Participants included respondents from this nationally representative, population-based cohort who were older than 50 years and had not previously reported a loss of independence. Analyses were performed from August 31 to October 15, 2023.

Exposures

Mean 10-year pollutant concentrations (particulate matter less than 2.5 μm in diameter [PM2.5] or ranging from 2.5 μm to 10 μm in diameter [PM10-2.5], nitrogen dioxide [NO2], and ozone [O3]) were estimated at respondent addresses using spatiotemporal models along with PM2.5 levels from 9 emission sources.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Loss of independence was defined as newly receiving care for at least 1 activity of daily living or instrumental activity of daily living due to health and memory problems or moving to a nursing home. Associations were estimated with generalized estimating equation regression adjusting for potential confounders.

Results

Among 25 314 respondents older than 50 years (mean [SD] baseline age, 61.1 [9.4] years; 11 208 male [44.3%]), 9985 individuals (39.4%) experienced lost independence during a mean (SD) follow-up of 10.2 (5.5) years. Higher exposure levels of mean concentration were associated with increased risks of lost independence for total PM2.5 levels (risk ratio [RR] per 1-IQR of 10-year mean, 1.05; 95% CI, 1.01-1.10), PM2.5 levels from road traffic (RR per 1-IQR of 10-year mean, 1.09; 95% CI, 1.03-1.16) and nonroad traffic (RR per 1-IQR of 10-year mean, 1.13; 95% CI, 1.03-1.24), and NO2 levels (RR per 1-IQR of 10-year mean, 1.05; 95% CI, 1.01-1.08). Compared with other sources, traffic-generated pollutants were most consistently and robustly associated with loss of independence; only road traffic-related PM2.5 levels remained associated with increased risk after adjustment for PM2.5 from other sources (RR per 1-IQR increase in 10-year mean concentration, 1.10; 95% CI, 1.00-1.21). Other pollutant-outcome associations were null, except for O3 levels, which were associated with lower risks of lost independence (RR per 1-IQR increase in 10-year mean concentration, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.92-0.97).

Conclusions and Relevance

This study found that long-term exposure to air pollution was associated with the need for help for lost independence in later life, with especially large and consistent increases in risk for pollution generated by traffic-related sources. These findings suggest that controlling air pollution could be associated with diversion or delay of the need for care and prolonged ability to live independently.

Dying with dementia in nursing homes: A population-based study of decedents and their families

BACKGROUND

Families play a critical role in end-of-life (EOL) care for nursing home (NH) residents with dementia. Despite the important role of family, little is known about the availability and characteristics of families of persons with dementia who die in NHs.

METHODS

This is a retrospective cohort study of 18,339 individuals 65 years and older with dementia who died in a Utah NH between 1998 and 2016, linked to their first-degree family (FDF) members (n = 52,566; spouses = 11.3%; children = 58.3%; siblings = 30.3%). Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and t-tests were used to describe the study cohort and their FDF members and to compare sociodemographic and death characteristics of NH decedents with (n = 14,398; 78.5%) and without FDF (n = 3941; 21.5%).

RESULTS

Compared with NH decedents with FDF, NH decedents with dementia without FDF members were more likely to be older (mean age 86.5 vs 85.5), female (70.5% vs 59.3%), non-White/Hispanic (9.9% vs 3.2%), divorced/separated/widowed (84.4% vs 61.1%), less educated (<12th grade; 42.2% vs 33.7%), have Medicare and Medicaid (20.8% vs 12.5%), and die in a rural/frontier NH (25.0% vs 23.4%). NH decedents who did not have FDF were also more likely to die from cancer (4.2% vs 3.9%), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD; 3.9% vs 2.5%), and dementia (40.5% vs 38.4%) and were less likely to have 2+ inpatient hospitalizations at EOL (13.9% vs 16.2%), compared with NH decedents with FDF.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings highlight differences in social determinants of health (e.g., sex, race, marital status, education, insurance, rurality) between NH decedents with dementia who do and do not have FDF-factors that may influence equity in EOL care. Understanding the role of family availability and familial characteristics on EOL care outcomes for NH residents with dementia is an important next step to informing NH dementia care interventions and health policies.

Home health services for minorities in urban and rural areas with Alzheimer's and related dementia

Timely access and continuum of care in older adults with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementia (ADRD) is critical. This is a retrospective study on Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries with ADRD diagnosis discharged to home with home health care following an episode of acute hospitalization. Our sample included 262,525 patients. White patients in rural areas have significantly higher odds of delay (odds ratio [OR], 1.03; 95% CI, 1.01-1.06). Black patients in urban areas (OR, 1.15; 95% CI, 1.12-1.19) and Hispanic patients in urban areas also were more likely to have a delay (OR, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.03-1.11). Black and Hispanic patients residing in urban areas had a higher likelihood of delay in home healthcare initiation following hospitalization compared to Whites residing in urban areas.

Post-acute care transitions and outcomes among Medicare beneficiaries with dementia: Associations with race/ethnicity and dual status

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate how post-acute care (PAC) transitions affect minority older adults with Alzheimer's disease or related dementia (ADRD), and the extent to which dual Medicare-Medicaid eligibility may attenuate or exacerbate disparities in PAC outcomes. We examined: (1) PAC referrals by race/ethnicity and dual status; (2) individual, hospital, and market-level factors associated with PAC; (3) the association between PAC and outcomes.

DATA SOURCES/STUDY SETTING

We used the following secondary data: Master Beneficiary Summary File (MBSF), Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MedPAR), Minimum Data Set (MDS), Area Health Resource File (AHRF), hospital Provider of Services (POS) file, and the area deprivation index (ADI).

STUDY DESIGN

This observational study consisted of 619,262 community-residing Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) beneficiaries with ADRD who had a hospital stay in 2017.

DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTION METHODS

PAC discharge was to skilled nursing facilities (SNF), home health care (HHC) agencies or home without services. Outcomes were 30-day readmission and death. Multinomial logistic regressions with hospital random effects (RE), stratified by dual eligibility, were fit.

PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

Dual-related differences were significantly larger than race/ethnicity differences in PAC transitions. For example, the difference in the probability of SNF transitions between White and Black patients was 3.2% and 6.8%-points for non-duals and duals, respectively. The difference between non-dual/dual White patients was 21.6% points, and among Black patients 18.0%-points. The adjusted risk of 30-day readmission was 5.6 percentage point higher among non-duals discharged to SNF, compared to home, but such risk among duals was not statistically significantly different. The adjusted probabilities of 30-day mortality were larger for duals and non-duals who transitioned to SNF, compared to those discharged home.

CONCLUSIONS

PAC referrals and the resulting outcomes for Medicare beneficiaries with ADRD are associated with multi-level variables that need to be incorporated in discharge decision making.

HCBS Service Spending and Nursing Home Placement for Patients With Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias: Does Race Matter?

OBJECTIVES

We examined the extent to which home and community-based services (HCBS) spending affected the likelihood of nursing home (NH) placement among black and white HCBS users with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD).

METHODS

The study population included new HCBS users with ADRD between 2010 and 2013 (N = 1,046,200).

RESULTS

We found that a one hundred dollar increase in monthly HCBS spending was associated with a 0.3 percentage points decrease in the NH placement rate among Whites, but a 0.3 percentage points increase in the NH placement rate among Blacks. The overall NH placement rate was 68.2% and 56.7% for Whites and Blacks, respectively.

DISCUSSION

A higher HCBS spending was associated with a decreased likelihood of NH placements for Whites but not for Blacks. It is important to understand how states' HCBS expansion efforts influence Blacks and Whites with ADRD so that resources can be tailored to communities with different race-mix.

Variability and Potential Determinants of Assisted Living State Regulatory Stringency

OBJECTIVES

We examined state variations in assisted living (AL) regulatory policies for admission/retention, staffing/training, medication management, and dementia care. Factors associated with domain-specific and overall regulatory stringency were identified.

DESIGN

This observational study used the following data sources: 2019 review of state AL regulations; 2019 national inventory of AL communities; 2014 Government Accountability Office survey of Medicaid agencies; 2016 Genworth Cost of Care Survey; and the 2018 Nursing Home Compare.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

Final analyses included 46 states (excluding Alaska, Kentucky, Louisiana, and West Virginia) and the District of Columbia.

METHODS

For each regulatory domain of interest (dependent variables), we generated policy scores by conducting content analysis of state regulatory databases. States were assigned points for presence of each policy (eg, staff training). The number of points assigned to each policy was divided by the total possible number of policy-related points, producing state stringency scores (between 0% and 100%) for each policy domain. Independent variables included market-level characteristics (eg, AL monthly cost), state generosity (eg, proportion of Medicaid aged using AL services), quality of care (eg, percent of nursing homes with few deficiencies), and others. Descriptive analyses and multivariable logistic regression models with stepwise selection were used.

RESULTS

We found significant variations in all policy domains across states. No single policy appeared to clearly dominate a state's rank. AL bed supply, monthly AL cost, proportion of Medicaid beneficiaries receiving AL services, and other variables were significantly associated with regulatory stringency of the domains examined.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

There were substantial variations in regulatory stringency across states. Several market and state generosity measures were identified as potential determinants of stringency, but the direction of these associations appeared to depend on what was being regulated. Future studies should examine how regulatory stringency affects access to and care quality in ALs.

Racial disparity in end-of-life hospitalizations among nursing home residents with dementia

OBJECTIVE

Explore within and across nursing home (NH) racial disparities in end-of-life (EOL) hospitalizations for residents with Alzheimer's disease or related dementia (ADRD), and examine whether severe cognitive impairment influences these relationships.

DESIGN

Observational study merging, at the individual level, C2014-2017 national-level Minimum Data Set (MDS), Medicare Beneficiary Summary Files (MBSF), and Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MedPAR). Nursing Home Compare (NHC) was also used.

SETTING

Long-stay residents who died in a NH or a hospital within 8 days of discharge.

PARTICIPANTS

Analytical sample included 665,033 decedent residents with ADRD in 14,595 facilities.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

The outcome was hospitalization within 30 days of death. Key independent variables were race, severe cognitive impairment, and NH-level proportion of black residents. Other covariates included socio-demographics, dual eligibility, hospice enrollment, and chronic conditions. Facility-level characteristics were also included (e.g. profit status, staffing hours, etc.). We fit linear probability models with robust standard errors, fixed and random effects.

RESULTS

Compared to whites, black decedents had a significantly (p < 0.01) higher risk of EOL hospitalizations (7.88%). Among those with severe cognitive impairment, whites showed a lower risk of hospitalizations (6.04%). But EOL hospitalization risk among blacks with severe cognitive impairment was still significantly elevated (β = 0.0494; p < 0.01). A comparison of the base model with the fixed and random-effects models showed statistically significant hospitalization risk by decedent's race both within and across facilities.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

We found disparities between black and white residents with ADRD both within and across facilities. The within-facility disparities may be due to residents' preferences and/or NH practices that contribute to differential treatment. The across facility differences point to the overall quality of care disparities in homes with a higher prevalence of black residents. Persistence of such systemic disparities among the most vulnerable individuals is extremely troubling.