Identifying Factors Associated With Prolonged Hospitalizations for Community-Dwelling Veterans Living With Dementia.

Authors

Chelsea R Perfect, Justine Seidenfeld, Kayla W Kilpatrick, Karen M Stechuchak, Caitlin B Kappler, Juliessa M Pavon, S Nicole Hastings

Published in

Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. Sep 02, 2026. Epub Sep 02, 2026.

Abstract

People living with dementia (PLWD) are more likely to be hospitalized and have longer hospital stays compared with the general population. Prolonged hospitalizations are associated with inpatient complications, functional decline, and mortality. This study aimed to identify patient-level factors associated with prolonged hospitalizations for PLWD.
Secondary analysis of a stepped-wedge, cluster randomized trial that enrolled community-dwelling older adults hospitalized for at least 2 days at eight Veterans Health Administration hospitals between August 2017 and August 2019. A logistic regression model was used to identify patient-level factors associated with prolonged hospitalizations (≥ 21 days) for PLWD.
2612 individuals with dementia were included in this cohort. PLWD had a median length of stay of 6.0 days (IQR: 4.0-9.0) and 138 (5.3%) were admitted to the hospital for at least 21 days. Social vulnerability (OR: 1.74, 95% CI: 1.16, 2.61), higher Nosos chronic disease burden (OR: 1.06, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.10), and presence of delirium at admission (OR: 1.55, 95% CI: 1.07, 2.26) were associated with higher odds of prolonged hospitalization. In contrast, greater clinical frailty was associated with lower odds of prolonged hospitalization (overall p = 0.006).
Several patient-level factors present at time of admission are associated with prolonged hospitalizations for PLWD. These findings can inform early identification and tailored interventions for those at risk. Further research is needed to better characterize these relationships, particularly frailty.
NCT03300336.

PMID:
42686639
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 03 Sep 2026.

Read full publication at:
Please sign in to see all details.

Stats

1-terrible, 9-excellent. How would you rate this publication? Sign in in to submit your rating.

Post a comment

You need to be signed in to post comments. You can sign in here.

Comments

There are no comments yet.