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How Can Assisted Living Prevent Rehospitalization?
Date Updated: July 26, 2024
Written by:
With over a decade of dedicated experience, Andrea Miller boasts an extensive background in healthcare writing and editing. Her expertise spans various facets of the healthcare industry, with a particular focus on nursing, senior care, Alzheimer’s disease, and public health. Andrea has also contributed her editorial talents to reputable publishers in the Philadelphia region, complementing her extensive freelance work.
Reviewed by:
Dr. Brindusa Vanta is a health care professional, researcher, and an experienced medical writer (2000+ articles published online and several medical ebooks). She received her MD degree from “Iuliu Hatieganu” University of Medicine, Romania, and her HD diploma from OCHM – Toronto, Canada.
Assisted living can prevent rehospitalization by coordinating care with acute care providers before, during and after discharge. The staff at the assisted living community should communicate openly with the resident’s care team to understand their post-discharge needs. Follow-up care is an essential component of post-discharge recovery. Hospitals track the rate of rehospitalizations within 30 days of the initial hospitalization, with a lower rate reflecting a higher quality of care.
What Factors Lead to Rehospitalization in Older Adults?
A variety of factors lead to rehospitalization in older adults. Seniors have a higher chance of 30-day readmission if they have frailty-related factors, such as malnutrition, decreased mobility, increased risk of falls, fatigue and functional dependence. Assisted living reduces these risks by encouraging mobility, providing nutritional support, and helping residents with activities of daily living and medication management.
Rehospitalization occurs more frequently among seniors with certain chronic conditions. Those with liver disease, heart failure, anemia or multiple comorbidities have a higher risk of readmission.
What Are Some Avoidable Types of Hospital Readmission?
Avoidable types of hospital readmission include aspiration pneumonitis, acute kidney injury and surgical site infection. Ambulatory-care-sensitive conditions defined by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality also fall into the category of preventable readmission. The AHRQ list includes uncontrolled diabetes with complications and/or amputation, COPD, asthma, hypertension, congestive heart failure, urinary tract infection, dehydration and bacterial pneumonia.