Discharge Criteria and Follow-Up Support for Dementia Care Units

Specialized dementia care units (DCUs) house individuals whose behaviors cannot be managed in other settings. To ensure environmental fit, admission/discharge criteria are recommended for DCUs; however, there is no consensus about what criteria should be used. This study aimed to describe, in a random sample of DCUs, the current admission criteria, current/recommended discharge criteria, and services to support discharge. Usable surveys were returned by 23 of 30 facilities. Residents were most frequently admitted because they had a diagnosis of dementia and exhibited cognitive/behavioral problems. The four most common discharge criteria in place/recommended were resident ability to manage in a non-specialized long-term care environment, lack of socially inappropriate behaviors, dependency in activities of daily living, and inability to participate in dementia care activities. These findings suggest that discharge from DCUs is relatively ad hoc. The study lays the groundwork for future research to evaluate the use/appropriateness of these criteria.