Characteristics of Nursing Home Residents with Contractures

The purpose of this study was to describe the prevalence and location of contractures in a population of nursing home residents and to compare the demographic, medical and functional characteristics of residents who have contractures to those who do not The medical records of 161 residents of an extended care unit were reviewed. Twenty-seven percent of the residents had at least one contracture documented. The most common sites were the hand (12.2%) and the knee (9.2%). Residents with contractures were similar in age to those without; however, their mean length of nursing home stay was 29.6 months compared to 10.9 months for residents without contractures. Residents with contractures were more likely to be female and to have a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease or cerebral vascular accident Residents with contractures were also more likely to have impairments of trunk and limb movement and to be totally dependent in one or more activities of daily living. Because contractures are often associated with serious limitations in function, surveillance and intervention resources should be focused on the residents who appear at greatest risk.