Introduction
We compare nursing-home and hospital admissions among residents with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) in memory-care assisted living to those in general assisted living.
Methods
Retrospective study of Medicare beneficiaries with ADRD in large (>25 bed) assisted-living communities. We compared admission to a hospital, to a nursing home, and long-term (>90 day) admission to a nursing home between the two groups, using risk differences and survival analysis.
Results
Residents in memory-care assisted living had a lower adjusted risk of hospitalization (risk difference = −1.8 percentage points [P = .014], hazard ratio = 0.93 [0.87–1.00]), a lower risk of nursing-home admission (risk difference = −2.2 percentage points [P < .001], hazard ratio = 0.87 [−.79–0.95]), and a lower risk of a long-term nursing home admission (risk difference = −1.1 percentage points [P < .001], hazard ratio = 0.71 [0.57–0.88]).
Discussion
Memory care is associated with reduced rates of nursing-home placement, particularly long-term stays, compared to general assisted living.
