Community residential care: comparison of cognitively impaired and noncognitively impaired residents

Community residential care (CRC) is growing, with cognitive impairment the most common reason for CRC placement. We enrolled cognitively impaired and noncognitively impaired residents, informal caregivers, and providers in 219 CRC facilities for this study. Residents with cognitive impairment were older (p < .001), needed more activities of daily living (ADL) assistance (p < .001), and had a higher frequency of behavior problems (p < .001) than noncognitively impaired residents. Cognitively impaired and noncognitively impaired residents did not significantly differ in the facility-related factors they perceived as important or in the amount of control they felt they had over the decision to move. Including residents with cognitive impairment in future research and separately analyzing residents by cognitive status will give a more accurate picture of the needs of CRC residents.