Little to no research exists when it comes to the barriers, clinical outcomes and policy effects of discharging assisted living residents who have mental illness, according to the authors of a new study. They called for additional research to identify effective discharge supports and to understand post-discharge outcomes for such residents.
One expert said the study underlines the need for staff training on mental illness as well as policies and procedures related to suicidal thoughts in assisted living.
For the research, investigators from Boston University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill analyzed 16 studies to learn about the barriers, facilitators, effects of federal and state policies, and clinical outcomes related to the discharge of residents with mental illness from assisted living communities and nursing homes. Their findings were published in the August issue of JAMDA – The Journal of the Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medical Association.
AL studies 15+ years old
Their analysis found that most studies focused on skilled nursing facilities, with very limited research into what happens in assisted living communities. In fact, the research that exists about assisted living is more than 15 years old…