Family Involvement and Symptom Burden in Nursing Home Residents
Author Information
Author(s): Tucker Gretchen, Cagle John, Stump Timothy, Tu Wanzhu, Zhang Peiyuan, Floyd Alex, Ersek Mary, Unroe Kathleen
Primary Institution: University of Maryland, Baltimore
Hypothesis
Does family involvement reduce symptom burden in nursing home residents with cognitive impairment?
Conclusion
Increased family involvement may help nursing home staff recognize and report more burdensome symptoms in residents.
Supporting Evidence
- Family involvement improves the quality of life of nursing home residents.
- Symptom burden was measured using the End-of-Life Dementia scale.
- Higher scores on the EOLD scale indicate greater symptom burden.
- Most family members visiting were adult children, with varying visit frequencies.
Takeaway
When family members visit nursing home residents more often, staff notice more symptoms that might be bothering them.
Methodology
Linear regression analysis was used to examine the associations between family visit frequency and symptom burden scores.
Participant Demographics
61.9% of residents were from Indiana, 60.3% were female, and most family members were adult children.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.037
Statistical Significance
p=0.037
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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