Gregory W. Arling, Ph.D.
Indiana University
Indianapolis, Indiana

2007 Investigator-Initiated Research Grant

Nursing home quality indicators measure how well nursing homes care for residents in categories like physical restraints, pressure sores and decline in mobility. They are widely used for regulation, public reporting and quality improvement. Yet there are no indicators that are specifically designed for residents with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias.

Gregory W. Arling, Ph.D., and colleagues will develop dementia-specific quality indicators that can assist consumers in evaluating nursing homes, help regulators target problems and reward homes that provide better care. The group will use existing data from nursing homes in Minnesota to determine which quality indicators are most relevant for people with dementia and will also create new dementia-specific indicators. The project builds on a five-year quality assessment project the team conducted for the Minnesota Department of Human Services, and the new findings will be translated directly into public policy.