Assessment of insomnia in high level residential aged care facility residents

Insomnia is common in nursing home settings but assessment and management of sleep disturbance is often suboptimal. New assessment procedures that target potentially remediable clinical causes of insomnia were implemented and evaluated at two high level residential aged care Facilities (HLRACFs) (formerly called nursing homes), in Melbourne, Australia. Fifty-eight of 147 residents (39 ) who complained of insomnia, or were nominated by nursing staff as having disturbed sleep, and had confirmation of sleep disturbance on overnight sleep log, were provided with a structured assessment protocol. A multidisciplinary team then considered the causes of each resident s insomnia. A potentially remediable medical or psychiatric cause was identified in 66 of residents with insomnia. More than one such factor was identified in 34 . Pain was a likely factor in 39 . Depression was a likely factor in 30 . Insomnia, depression and pain were significantly correlated.