Nursing Home Alzheimer's Special Care Units: Geographic Location Matters

Limited data suggest nursing home (NH) Alzheimer's special care units (ASCUs) may improve care and outcomes among residents with dementia. Unfortunately, information describing NH characteristics related to presence of ASCUs is lacking, especially whether location and neighborhood resources influence their presence. We examined locations of NHs with ASCUs and assessed whether neighborhood socioeconomic deprivation, region, and levels of rurality were associated with NH ASCUs.

Cross-sectional.

Contiguous United States; we used 2017 LTCfocus and NH Compare data to identify free-standing NHs and obtain addresses (N = 13,207 NHs).

NH ZIP+4 codes were linked to the Area Deprivation Index (ADI) (within-state ranking of neighborhood deprivation). The 9 census-defined regions of the United States and Rural Urban Continuum codes categorized location. Descriptive analyses and binary logistic regression models, adjusting for NH characteristics, examined associations between NH ASCUs and location.

Nearly 15% of NHs had ASCUs. In adjusted models, odds of NH ASCUs were 58% to 69% lower in Pacific, Middle Atlantic, and Southern regions compared with the East North Central region (P values <.001). Odds of NH ASCUs increased 25% to 47% as rurality increased relative to NHs in the most metropolitan areas (P < .01); however, odds of NH ASCUs decreased 63% in the most rural areas (P < .001). ADI was not significantly associated with NH ASCUs. For-profit NHs had 42% lower and chain-affiliated NHs 34% higher odds of ASCUs (P < .001). NHs with higher total staffing hours had 29% higher odds of ASCUs; odds of ASCUs were 46% lower in NHs with more RN staffing hours (P < .001).

Using a robust sample, region, rurality, ownership, and nursing hours significantly predicted NH ASCUs whereas ADI did not. Geographically tailored interventions should be considered to promote use of NH-based ASCUs.