Importance of Resident Placement within a Skilled Nursing Facility

Specific attention to the placement of nursing‐home residents within a skilled nursing facility is often neglected. A study was made of the effects on mental and emotional status, sensory perception, and capability for the needs of daily living when a mentally incompetent resident was placed as a room‐mate with a competent resident. By means of a rating scale designed for this study, the mentally competent subjects were assessed before and after this type of placement. A significant change occurred in mental and emotional status (p < 0.001) but there was no change in either sensory perception or the ability to perform the tasks of daily living. The data suggest that the placement of a mentally incompetent resident with one who is mentally competent may result in an alteration of mental and emotional status for the latter. It is important that placement conditions be considered in the initial processing of all nursing‐home residents.