Pre-admission assessment of elderly applicants to long-term care

Aim: to identify whether pre-admission assessment of elderly applicants could be an effective means of identifying actual need for long term care Methods: 105 applicants to long term care were assessed at source for suitability for admission. Assessment instruments used were OARS and CAPE. All subjects were followed up after 3 months to assess actual outcome. Findings: Assessment findings showed that of the study group (n=105), 22% could remain in the community, 21% could benefit from hospital care / rehabilitation and 57% required institutionalisation. Unmet need was identified in applicants in the community (n=40) for home help, day care, social worker, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and community nursing. Conclusion: Pre-admission assessment appropriately identifies the actual needs of applicants to long-term care and prevents inappropriate admission.