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Introduction: This study sought to explore individual and facility-level variation in social connectedness among long-stay nursing home residents with Alzheimer’s or other dementias (ADRD). Methods: We identified 721,074 long-stay residents with ADRD using 2016 Minimum Data Set 3.0 data. Social connectedness was defined using the social connectedness index (SCI) (high: SCI = 5, lower: 0 < SCI ≤ 4). Adjusted odds ratios (aOR) provided estimates of the associations between resident-level and facility-level characteristics, and high SCI was derived from logistic models. Results: The SCI Cronbach’s alpha was 0.69; 78.6% had high SCI scores. Men were less likely than women to have higher SCI scores (aOR = 0.97; 95% CI: 0.97–0.98). Increasing age was associated with higher SCI scores (e.g., aOR [85–94 vs. 40–64 years]: 1.07; 95% CI: 1.06–1.07). Those with moderate cognitive impairment (aOR: 0.87) and severe cognitive impairment (aOR: 0.85) had reduced odds of SCI = 5 relative to those with mild/intact cognitive function. Residents living in homes with special care dementia units and with higher percentage of residents with dementia had decreased odds of high social connectedness. Discussion/Conclusion: Understanding resident- and nursing home-level variation in social connectedness may be important for targeting interventions that reduce isolation among residents with ADRD.

To test the hypothesis that there is little concordance in perceptions of medication-related communication between patients and providers, with providers estimating greater frequency of such discussions than patients; and to determine whether discordance is less apparent among patients who received e-prescriptions.Data are from a convenience sample of 96 providers practicing in 6 states and 1100 of their patients. Twenty-nine practices used e-prescribing, and 3 practices were initiating e-prescribing.Patients' and providers' perceptions regarding discussions with their providers or patients regarding medication costs, adherence, and potential adverse effects were collected by survey.Relative to patients, providers estimated more frequent discussions of medication issues with patients. Most patients (83%) reported that they would never tell their physician if they did not plan on picking up a prescription. Patients receiving electronic prescriptions were more likely than patients with paper prescriptions (54% vs 43%) to report that their provider always checks the accuracy of their medication list.Although e-prescribing may not change the extent to which patients and physicians discuss medication issues, patients of e-prescribing providers more frequently report provider verification of medication lists.