Analyses of nursing home residents with multiple sclerosis at admission and one year after admission

This research compares profiles of residents with multiple sclerosis (MS) at admission to the nursing facility with profiles of these same residents one year later using the Minimum Data Set (MDS) to determine how their health and care received changed after one year in the facility. We matched MDS admission assessments with their first annual assessment for 1309 residents with MS. These residents with MS demonstrated deterioration in cognitive performance, communication skills, motor performance and bladder/bowel continence after one year in the facility. However, the proportion of residents with urinary tract infections and the proportion of residents with pressure ulcers declined after one year. A significantly larger proportion of these MS residents had a diagnosis of depression one year after admission, with significantly increased use of antipsychotic and antidepressant medications but little and declining use of psychological therapy after one year in the facility. In addition, there was a significant decline after one year in the use of physical, occupatio nal, and speech therapies. These longer stay residents with MS may benefit from support services directed toward mental health and increased use of physical, occupational and psychological therapies provided in the nursing facility.