Stability and improvement of health after nursing home admission.

This prospective study investigated stability of residents' mental status, function (activities of daily living), and mood during the first and second week following nursing home admission. New residents (N = 647) in eight urban nursing homes were assessed three times. Mental status was measured using the Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire, function was measured using Scaled Outcome Criteria, and mood was measured using the Mood Adjective Checklist. A repeated measures multivariate analysis of variance, controlling for admission from hospital and readmission to the nursing home, documented stable mental status during the first and second week of nursing home residence. Hygiene, grooming, dressing, and transferring improved, whereas feeding, ambulation, urination, and defecation were stable. Tired and depressed mood adjectives improved, and angry, cheerful, afraid, lonely, and alert mood adjectives were stable. Residents admitted from a hospital had lower mental status and function scores, and readmitted residents had lower urination scores.