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Dementia prevalence and care in assisted living
Zimmerman S, Sloane PD, Reed D.. Health affairs (Project Hope), 2014-04-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Assisted living residences have become prominent sites of long-term residential care for older adults with dementia. Estimates derived from national data indicate that seven out of ten residents in these residences have some form of cognitive impairment, with 29 percent having mild impairment, 23 percent moderate impairment, and 19 percent severe impairment. More than one-third of residents display behavioral symptoms, and of these, 57 percent have a medication prescribed for their symptoms. Only a minority of cognitively impaired residents reside in a dementia special care unit, where admission and discharge policies are more supportive of their needs. Policy-relevant recommendations from our study include the need to examine the use of psychotropic medications and cultures related to prescribing, better train assisted living staff to handle medications and provide nonpharmacological treatments, use best practices in caring for people with dementia, and promote consumer education regarding policies and practices in assisted living.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Zimmerman, S., Sloane, P. D., & Reed, D. (2014). Dementia prevalence and care in assisted living. Health affairs (Project Hope). https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2013.1255
Vancouver
Zimmerman S, Sloane PD, Reed D. Dementia prevalence and care in assisted living. Health affairs (Project Hope). 2014. doi:10.1377/hlthaff.2013.1255. PMID: 24711328.
BibTeX
@article{zimmerman2014-24711328,
author = {Zimmerman, S. and Sloane, P. D. and Reed, D.},
title = {{Dementia prevalence and care in assisted living}},
journal = {Health affairs (Project Hope)},
year = {2014},
doi = {10.1377/hlthaff.2013.1255},
pmid = {24711328},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2013.1255}
}
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Key findings
- Estimates derived from national data indicate that seven out of ten residents in these residences have some form of cognitive impairment, with 29 percent having mild impairment, 23 percent moderate impairment, and 19 percent severe impairment.
Why it matters
This report estimates that about seven out of ten residents in assisted living have some form of cognitive impairment, and it recommends examining psychotropic medication use and improving staff training and nonpharmacological care. This is about care in assisted living settings, not about treating, curing, or preventing Alzheimer's disease.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 45/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Health affairs (Project Hope)) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Health Affairs: journal h-index 277 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2014 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 232 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 16.6 citations a year over 14 year(s) since 2014 |
| Impact for its field and year | 5 / 6 | Cited 32.0× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 3 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 32 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author David Reed: h-index 34 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: institution h-index 1,674 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 24711328) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 45 / 100 | — |
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