Background
Studies comparing Alzheimer Special Care Units (ASCUs) with traditional nursing homes (NHs) have reported conflicting results.
Objectives
To compare the characteristics and the effects on mortality, hospitalization, use of physical restraints, falls, and antipsychotics among patients admitted to ASCUs or to NHs.
Methods
A sequential cohort of patients with dementia was recruited and followed for 18 months in a sample of randomly selected ASCUs and NHs. Data on socio-demographic, cognitive, functional, behavioral, and clinical characteristics, and drug exposure were collected at baseline and at 6-month intervals up to 18 months.
Results
A total of 349 patients were enrolled in 35 ASCUs and 81 in 9 NHs. Patients admitted to ASCUs were younger, cognitively and functionally less impaired, but had more behavioral disturbances than those in NH. During…
