Stability and Change in Attitudes Toward Nursing Homes: Results from an Admission Cohort of Nursing Home Residents

Abstract

This study was designed to determine the stability of patient attitudes toward nursing homes, examine predictors of patient attitudes, and assess the extent to which the relationship between background characteristics and patient attitudes change over time. Three sets of in-person interviews were conducted with a cohort of patients recently admitted to thirteen nursing homes in North Carolina. Results indicated that patient assessments of the nursing home experience changed over time, and that the magnitude of the correlation between attitudinal constructs declined as more time elapsed. Self-reported pain/discomfort and baseline Medicaid status affected patient attitudes toward, and satisfaction with, nursing home care over time.