Measuring Resident and Family Member Determinants of Satisfaction with Assisted Living

• Published in: The Gerontologist Vol. 46; no. 5; pp. 599 - 608
• Main Authors: Edelman, Perry, Guihan, Marylou, Bryant, Fred B, Munroe, Donna J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Gerontological Society of America 01.10.2006
• Subjects: Aged, 80 and over; Assisted Living Facilities; Factor Analysis; Family - psychology; Female; Goodness of Fit; Health Care Surveys; Humans; Leisure Activities; Male; Middle Aged; Models, Statistical; Older Adults; Patient Satisfaction; Patients - psychology; Personal Autonomy; Privacy; Reproducibility of Results; Residential Institutions; Safety; Socialization
• ISSN: 0016-9013
• DOI: 10.1093/geront/46.5.599

Purpose: This study developed measures of satisfaction with assisted living from residents' and family members' perspectives. Design and Methods: We collected survey data from 204 residents and 232 family members associated with 11 assisted living facilities. We used confirmatory factor analysis to evaluate the goodness of fit of a priori measurement models. Results: Iterative analysis to improve measurement models resulted in a multifaceted unidimensional model of resident satisfaction and a 5-factor model of family member satisfaction. The scales are both comprehensive and parsimonious and display strong scalar properties. Implications: These scales provide tools for estimating the impact of assisted living on various relevant domains for residents and their family members. These measures should prove useful to administrators attempting to meet the needs of their clients and to potential clients of assisted living attempting to judge the appropriateness of specific assisted living facilities.