Changes in health status subsequent to nursing home closure

摘要

Despite the negative nomenclature used to describe interinstitutional relocation of elders—such as relocation stress—research on the detrimental effects of these relocations has so far provided equivocal results. In our analyses we use six years of data from the Minimum Data Set and 301 nursing home residents. We determine some detrimental effects of interinstitutional relocation on changes in cognitive performance, depression, and social engagement. The effects identified were small. Nonetheless, the changes in outcomes identified may be important in the nursing home setting and we believe the continued study of the effects of interinstitutional relocation is important.