current practices in virginia long-term care facilities richard j. bonnie, law school paul freedman,...
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Current Practices in Virginia Long-Term Care Facilities
Richard J. Bonnie, Law SchoolPaul Freedman, Department of Politics
Tom Guterbock, Sociology, CSR
Virginia LTC Voting Survey
Funded by Alzheimer’s and Related Diseases Research Award Fund (ARDRAF) at VCU
Survey conducted by the University of Virginia Center for Survey Research
Virginia LTC Voting Survey
Pre-tests in Philadelphia 2003 (Karlawish et. al. 2008)
Pre-test in Albemarle County, VA 2005
Virginia statewide survey modified question formats to sharpen the inquiry and generate quantitative results for each issue.
Survey Features
Sample randomly chosen from VDH listings Not all Assisted Living facilities sampled
Very good response rate: 55% 246 completed
110 Nursing Homes (nearly half of all in Va.) 112 Assisted Living Facilities 24 hybrids (assigned to NH or AL category by
primary type)
Margin of sampling error +/- 5.2%
In-field pretest of survey: Dec 12-15, 2006
Field Period: Jan. 31 – March 9, 2007
Survey Features
Respondent was “the person most knowledgeable about voting procedures”
CATI (computer-assisted telephone interviewing)
Complex branching and skipping usedSome questions tailored to nursing homes
vs. assisted living facilities. Experienced interviewers with significant
trainingFocus on Election Day 2006Average interview time: 21 minutes
Survey Topics
facility characteristicsregistration practicesprocedures regarding absentee voting
and voting at polling placesassessing capacity to vote
Main Findings
Wide variation across facilities in practices and policies with respect to registration, voting, assessment of capacity
Systematic differences by type of facility
Facility-level policies and procedures matter for registration and voting
Type of Facility
Nursing Home Assisted Living
For-Profit 73.7 68.5
Non-Profit 21.1 27.9
Public/Other 5.2 3.6
Number of Beds Filled on Election Day
Nursing Home Assisted Living
<=30 2.1 42.9
31-60 22.1 32.2
61-120 51.6 21.9
>120 24.2 2.9
General Voting Policy
Nursing Home Assisted Living
Written policy on voting? 23.0 7.3
Staffer in charge of voting?
90.3 72.1
Person In Charge/Most Knowledgeable About Voting
Nursing Home Assisted Living
Administrator 12.6 50.4
Activities Director 52.1 29.6
Recreation Director 4.2 2.6
Social Worker 23.5 4.3
Other 7.6 13.0
Election Activities at Facility
Nursing Home
Assisted Living
Sponsored election-related program 73.2 62.0Arranged political speakers 7.1 13.1Candidates or parties campaigned 5.4 9.1
Estimated Voting and Registration Rates
Informants asked to report: 1) number of residents on Election Day 20062) number or percentage of residents registered 3) number or percentage voting by absentee ballot or at
polling place.
Rates calculated based on number of residents on Election Day.
registration rate turnout (voting as percent of registered) voting percent (reg turnout)
Facilitating Registration
Do policies vary across type of facility?
Do facility policies and procedures affect registration rates?
Do effects vary across type of facility (registration assistance scores)?
Registration Procedures
Nursing HomeAssisted Living
Registration standard practice? 65.0 31.6
Part of SOP? 53.0 16.7
Registration during intake? 55.6 27.2
Reg. status recorded in care plan?
16.4 15.1
Recorded somewhere else? 54.3 18.9
Registration Procedures: Notify Board of Election of Change of Address?
Nursing HomeAssisted Living
Automatic procedure 20.7 12.2
Staff helps only if requested 34.5 22.6
Do nothing, family is responsible
22.4 55.7
Other 17.2 5.7
Don’t Know 5.2 3.8
Facilitating Voting
Do policies vary across type of facility?
Absentee vs. voting booth differences
Do facility policies and procedures affect voting rates?
Do effects vary across type of facility (voting assistance scores)?
Voting at Booth
Nursing HomeAssisted Living
Was facility a polling place? 2.7 3.7
Polling equipment brought in for practice? 1.8 0
Transportation to polling place? 65.7 78.0
Anyone assist in booth? 55.8 62.0
Voting at Booth:Most Frequent Source of Assistance
Nursing HomeAssisted Living
Family member 12.5 19.4
Friend/caregiver 4.2 3.2
Election worker 25.0 45.2
Facility staff 41.7 22.6
Other 12.5 6.5
Don’t Know 4.2 3.2
Voting by Absentee Ballot
Nursing HomeAssisted Living
Staff helps request ballot 80.9 54.3
Staff helps complete ballot 85.3 54.3
Voting by Absentee Ballot
Nursing HomeAssisted Living
Staff helps request ballot 80.9 54.3
Staff helps complete ballot 85.3 54.3
Nursing HomeAssisted Living
Ballot completed individually 83.8 64.7
Ballot completed in group 4.4 5.9
Combined Voter Assistance Score
Registration + voting booth + absentee ballot assistance
Assessment of Capacity to Vote
Did anyone assess capacity?Source of information relied onPerceived significance of guardianPerceived significance of DPOA
Most Common Reasons Why Registered Voters Did Not Vote
Nursing Home
Assisted Living
Mental Impairment 25.0 34.8
Physical Impairment 7.5 4.3
Lack of Interest 47.5 47.8
Other 17.5 4.3
Don’t Know 2.5 8.7
Assessing Capacity to Vote
Nursing Home
Assisted Living
Did anyone assess if residents were capable of voting? 53.1 27.5
(If yes) Sources of information
“previous knowledge” 20.3 36.7
pre-election interview/assessment
3.4 10.0
both 66.1 46.7
don’t know 10.2 6.7
Specific Assessments Used
Nursing Home
Assisted Living
minimum data set 72.1 18.8general impressions, daily interactions 93.0 81.2specific diagnosis 74.4 62.5standardized cognitive test 34.9 31.2
Assessing Capacity to Vote:Perceived Meaning of Guardianship
Nursing Home
Assisted Living
resident is not capable of voting 11.0 4.6guardian decides if resident is capable of voting 15.6 32.4is not relevant 23.9 24.1is one factor to consider 35.8 31.5don't know 13.8 7.4
“Suppose resident has a legal guardian . . . What is the significancefor deciding if capable of voting?”
Assessing Capacity to Vote:Perceived Meaning of DPOA
Nursing Home
Assisted Living
resident is not capable of voting 1.8 6.5guardian decides if resident is capable of voting 5.5 15.7is not relevant 45.9 42.6is one factor to consider 33.9 25.9don't know 12.8 9.3
“Suppose resident has a Durable Power of Attorney . . . What is the significance for deciding if capable of voting?”
Legal Challenge to Capacity
Nursing Home
Assisted Living
Actual challenge in 2006 1.8 1.8Aware of any challenge in previous experience? 2.8 4.7
Next Steps
Additional research beyond Virginia
More data on existing facility-level practices
Look at individual resident-level data on registration and voting
Recommendations for facility-level procedures and for public policy