A model of nurse assistant care to promote functional status in hospitalized elders.

After completing 20 hours of classes on promoting the functional status of hospitalized elders, the certified nursing assistants on this medical unit participated in developing a new model of care delivery. Discharge destination (home or nursing home) and length of stay were compared for patients pre- and post-implementation. Length of stay decreased by 2.4 days (p =.0007), and there was a significant increase in the number of elders who were able to return home (p =.024).