Is hospice associated with improved end-of-life care in nursing homes and assisted living facilities?

OBJECTIVES

To examine whether hospice enrollment for nursing home (NH) and residential care/assisted living (RC/AL) residents near the end of life is associated with symptoms and symptom management, personal care, spiritual support, and family satisfaction.

DESIGN

Structured, retrospective telephone interviews with family and staff who attended to NH and RC/AL residents in the last month of life.

SETTING

A stratified sample of 26 NH and 55 RC/AL facilities in four states.

PARTICIPANTS

Family members (n=97) and long-term care (LTC) staff (n=104) identified as most involved in care of 124 residents who died over a 15-month period.

MEASUREMENTS: A variety of reported measures of care and symptoms before death, including the Discomfort Scale for Dementia of the Alzheimer's Type.

RESULTS

Of 124 decedents, 27 (22%) received hospice services. Dementia was less common in hospice enrollees than in decedents who did not receive hospice care. Hospice enrollees more often had moderate/severe pain and dyspnea and received pain treatment and were more likely to receive assistance with mouth care and eating and drinking. There were no differences related to unmet need, and observed differences were largely eliminated when comparisons were limited to residents whose deaths were expected.

CONCLUSION

Rates of hospice use observed in this study (22%) were considerably higher than previously reported, although persons with dementia may continue to be underreferred. Hospice use is targeted to dying residents with higher levels of reported pain and dyspnea. Because difference in care largely disappears in cases when death was expected, LTC staff seem to be well positioned to provide end-of-life care for their residents and are advised to remain sensitive to instances in which death may be expected.