Functional health status of relocated nursing home residents

This article presents the functional health status results of 49 nursing home residents who were involuntarily relocated from one institution to another. The purpose of the study was to determine whether there would be pre- to postmove changes in health status. Nursing personnel on both the day and evening shifts completed separate assessments of the residents' functional health status using the Long-Term Health Care Minimum Data Set instrument. These assessments were completed 2 to 3 months before and 3 to 4 months after the move. The interrater reliability was high; overall day-evening agreement was 82 percent. After the move, only receptive communication was rated higher; dressing, transferring, using the toilet, continence, and mobility were rated lower. Six functional activities showed no significant changes. Relocation does not appear to have a uniformly negative impact on functional status.