Can sleep quality predict the need for nursing home care?

Treating the symptoms of insomnia could reduce patient load in healthcare settings and reduce healthcare costs.

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health conducted a two-phase sleep investigation involving 14,355 adults, age 55 and older. The study looked for possible links between insomnia symptoms and future hospitalizations, nursing home admission and the increased use of home healthcare services.

Using data from the 2006 and 2008 Health and Retirement Study, researchers found that those who acknowledged problems with insomnia in 2006, were more likely to be hospitalized, admitted to a nursing home or require home healthcare than those without problems sleeping IN 2008.

More than 40 percent of the participants claimed to have at least one symptom of insomnia.

Sandra Hoban

Sandra Hoban was on I Advance Senior Care / Long-Term Living’s editorial staff for 17 years. She is one of the country’s longest-serving senior care journalists. Before joining Long-Term Living, she was a member of the promotions department at Advanstar Communications. In addition to her editorial experience, Sandi has served past roles in print and broadcast advertising as a traffic and talent coordinator.