Individual and Environmental Factors that Influence Length of Stay in Adult Day Health Care Programs

Despite the growth in adult day health services over the last decade, there is limited research on the topic. With the majority of participants receiving public dollars for care and disenrolling into more expensive nursing home care, the purpose of this study was to determine what factors influence how long an individual stays in the program. Data were gathered from existing records of five adult day programs operating in central Ohio through new intake files from 1, 1999 to December 31, 2000 (N = 280). Cox regression was used to determine the factors that influence length of stay. Those older, at higher nutritional risk, non-white, receiving public funding disenrolled at higher rates. Those participants who were married and had a psychological diagnosis disenrolled at lower rates.