Nursing home dementia care units. Providing a continuum of care rather than aging in place.

Experience from the first 24 months of a new Dementia Special Care Unit is presented with an emphasis on admission and discharge criteria, length of stay, and reasons for discharge. Maintaining residents with moderate functional abilities on a Special Care Unit is examined relative to relocation stress, aging in place, and staff needs. The benefits of providing a continuum of dementia care and the risk of potential harm of frequent intra-institutional moves are discussed.