Do Assisted Living Facilities That Offer a Dementia Care Program Differ from Those That Do Not? A Population-Level Cross-Sectional Study in Ontario, Canada
Authors: Manis Derek R. , Rahim Ahmad , Poss Jeffrey W. , Bielska Iwona A. , Bronskill Susan E. , Tarride Jean-Éric , Abelson Julia , Costa Andrew P. 
Published: February 2021

Objective

To identify the characteristics of licensed assisted living facilities that provide a dementia care program compared to assisted living facilities that do not provide such a program.

Design, Setting, and Participants

Population-level cross-sectional study in Ontario, Canada on all licensed assisted living facilities in 2018 (n = 738).

Methods

Data on facility-level characteristics (e.g., resident and suite capacities, etc.) and the provision of other provincially regulated care services (e.g., pharmacist and medical services, skin and wound care, etc.) attributed to licensed assisted living facilities were examined. Multivariable Poisson regression with robust standard errors was used to model the characteristics of assisted living facilities associated with the provision of a dementia care program.

Results

There were 123 (16.7%) assisted living facilities that provided a dementia care program. Nearly half of these facilities had a resident capacity exceeding 140 older adults (44.7%) and more than 115 suites (46.3%). All assisted living facilities that provided a dementia care program also provided nursing services, meals, assistance with bathing and hygiene, and administered medications. After adjusting for facility characteristics and other provincially regulated care services, the prevalence of a dementia care program was nearly three times greater in assisted living facilities that offered assistance with feeding than those that did not (Prevalence Ratio [PR] = 2.91, 95% Confidence Interval [CI] 1.98 to 4.29), and almost twice as great among assisted living facilities that provided medical services than those that did not (PR = 1.78, 95% CI 1.00 to 3.17).

Conclusions

A dementia care program was more prevalent in assisted living facilities that housed many older adults, had many suites, and provided at least five of the other 12 regulated care services. These findings deepen the understanding of specialized care for dementia in assisted living facilities.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Question

Do licensed assisted living facilities that provide a dementia care program differ from those that do not in Ontario, Canada?

Findings

Assisted living facilities that provide a dementia care program house many older adults, have many suites, and offer at least five of the other 12 regulated care services.

Meaning

Assisted living facilities that provide a dementia care program are larger and provide an array of care services.

Disclosures

We have no perceived or actual conflicts, financial or otherwise, to disclose.

Author Contributions

DRM and APC conceptualized the study. AR created the dataset, and DRM conducted the statistical analyses. DRM wrote the manuscript, and all authors critically read and contributed to it.

Data Availability

The dataset from this study is held securely in coded form at ICES. While data sharing agreements prohibit ICES from making the data set publicly available, access may be granted to those who meet pre-specified criteria for confidential access, available at www.ices.on.ca/DAS. The full data set creation plan and underlying analytic code are available from the corresponding author upon request, understanding that the programs may rely upon coding templates or macros that are unique to ICES.