Discharge planning for dementia patients: factors influencing caregiver decisions and satisfaction

Discharge planning is a major concern of hospitals as they seek to reduce costs associated with prolonged lengths of hospital stays, prevent subsequent readmissions, and ensure that discharge dispositions are appropriate. This process can be even more complicated when the patient is suffering from dementia and the family has primary responsibility for the discharge outcome. Data on the discharge process and caregiver satisfaction with it were collected from 179 caregivers of hospitalized dementia patients. The findings indicate that social workers are important influences in the discharge decisions but are significantly more influential when the discharge is to a nursing home. Findings from regression analyses indicate that caregiver satisfaction is dependent on the amount of caregiver involvement in the process.