Placement appropriateness for seniors into long-term care–A neglected area of research

The need for nursing home placement will increase in a rapidly ageing world. If decisions regarding their placement into long-term care do not involve the elderly themselves, they will have been deprived of their rights as citizens and humans. Professionals of various disciplines involved in health care services are thus obliged to assist elderly people in need of residential placement to determine where to spend the rest of their lives. This paper discusses the appropriateness of nursing home placement, the decision-making process regarding such placement, and gaps in the literature, and makes suggestions as to what needs to be done. It is proposed that the current focus on matching care needs with service provision is not ideal, and that other factors have to be considered.School of Nursin