Hospitalization and associated factors in people with Alzheimer's disease residing in a long-term care facility in southern Taiwan.

Abstract

It has been reported that many people with dementia require hospitalizations. The objective of the present study was to determine predictive factors for hospitalizations in people with dementia. A total of 70 individuals with dementia living in a veterans' home in southern Taiwan were consecutively enrolled. During prospective follow up, all hospitalization events were recorded. The mean age of residents with dementia was 86.1±4.0years, and the mean follow-up time for this population was 2.2±1.1years. Among individuals, 62.9% suffered from malnutrition or were at risk of malnutrition (minimal nutritional assessment-short form score ≤11), and 8.6% of individuals had a body mass index of <18.5 Kg/m2 . There were 52 (74.3%) individuals who had previously fallen. Overall, 51 of 70 residents were hospitalized during the follow-up period. In those individuals with previous falls, there was a significantly increased risk of hospitalization (odds ratio 5.61, 95% CI 1.18-26.7). Furthermore, three factors were significantly associated with the risk of fall, including handgrip strength, malnutrition and Mini-Mental State Examination score. The results of the present study showed that hospitalization was a frequent event in residents with dementia living in a long-term care facility. The major predictor for hospital admission was history of a previous fall. Screening those with dementia for history of injurious falls and associated risk factors for falling could help identify those at risk of hospitalization, thus necessitating a comprehensive intervention to reduce hospitalization. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17 (Suppl. 1): 50-56.