Summary of the Innovative Programs Research Survey

Abstract

A random national sample of 1,058 long-term care facilities for the elderly, stratified by size ( < 60 beds; 60-149 beds; > 149 beds) and ownership (public, non-profit, for-profit) was surveyed to determine the extent to which some 90 specific programs in three categories (physical activity, rehabilitation, community linkage) exist and endure in such institutions. A checklist format enabled respondents to indicate those programs provided at any time in the past ten years and those still provided. Responding institutions (N = 274) provided descriptions of selected innovative programs as well as total number of programs. Frequencies of programs indicate that religious services and crafts programs occur most frequently, while outreach programs of all kinds are least frequent. The mean number of programs provided was 31.6. Respondents also provided basic institutional descriptive data (e.g., level of care, staffing patterns, information about in-service education, etc.); patient demographic data (age, sex, ethnicity, disability levels) and administrator education and training information. These administrative and organizational variables were used to determine characteristics of institutions successful in promoting innovative programs for the elderly when they were correlated with overall and categorical innovative programs scores.