Alzheimer's Gets Worse In Nursing Homes

People with Alzheimer's disease get worse quickly when they are placed in a nursing home, according to a new study.

The Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center looked at 432 people with the disease in Chicago who were living outside of care centers. They were tested every six months for four years.

Researchers said that all the patients' scores on cognitive tests fell gradually over time. But the 155 who were placed in nursing homes declined more rapidly and they tended to have lower overall scores.

The authors reported in the American Journal of Psychiatry that the more time people spent in adult daycare before going into a home, the less they declined. People using day care three to four days a week at the beginning of the study showed no increase in cognitive decline upon nursing home placement.

The study also found that a higher level of education was associated with accelerated cognitive decline upon nursing home placement.

The authors said their study controlled for the fact that it would be possible that people who were more likely to suffer rapid declines were also the ones most likely to be placed in nursing homes.