There have been scattered reports examining factors associated with discharge home in rehabilitation hospitals, with age, nursing ability, and FIM values being the most frequently reported, but there have been no age-specific reports on the late-stage elderly. The purpose of this study was to identify factors associated with discharge home in late-life elderly subjects.
A total of 151 late-stage elderly persons aged 75 years or older who were hospitalized at a gyration rehabilitation hospital between April 2022 and March 2023 were included in the study. Cases who were living outside their homes prior to admission, cases transferred due to acute deterioration, cases discharged from institutions, and cases with missing data were excluded. Parameters were gender, disease, length of hospital stay, FIM at discharge (each subitem), MMSE at discharge, Alb at discharge, number of family members living together, and level of family cooperation. For statistical processing, the subjects were classified into two groups according to the outcome destination: home discharge group and non-home discharge group, and the χ2 test and Mann-Whitney U test were performed. Multiple logistic regression analysis was then conducted on the items that showed significant differences in order to examine the factors influencing home discharge. Significant differences were defined as less than 5%.
In comparisons between home and non-home counties with different transfer destination, significant differences were found in all items except gender and disease. In the examination of influencing factors, the FIM at discharge for toileting, urinary control, transfers, stairs, and social interaction, ALB at discharge, and family cooperation level were selected. The discriminant accuracy rate was 75%.
Murakami et al. stated that the number of family members living with the patient does not contribute to discharge home in the late elderly, and the same result was obtained in this study when examining the influencing factors. However, the degree of family cooperation, which has not been clarified in previous studies, was selected, suggesting that qualitative external factors other than the number of family members living together may have an influence on discharge home. Independence in activities of daily living, such as toileting and transfers, was also reported as important in previous studies, and the results were similar in this study of late-stage elderly patients.
In the late elderly, not only motor skills at the time of discharge but also social interaction and level of family cooperation are important factors that contribute to discharge home from a rehabilitation hospital. An approach that enhances family cooperation and social interaction may be useful to enable the elderly to be discharged home.
leaving hospital at home
Strength of Family Collaboration
