Older persons (55 years and older) with cardiovascular disease are at increased risk for hospital readmission when compared to other subgroups of our population. This issue presents an economic problem, a concern for the quality and type of care provided, and an urgent need to implement innovative strategies designed to reduce the rising cost of medical care. This study attempted to identify risk factors for the prediction of those individuals at risk for non-elective hospital readmission for the same disease. A multifactorial assessment was performed on a group of cardiovascular diseased patients (N=121). Over the course of 90 days after their initial discharge, the incidence of non-elective readmissions was observed in order to determine: (1) the frequency of readmission; (2) the ability to predict readmissions; and (3) if the identified risk factors have implications for rehabilitation intervention. Findings indicated that two variables--happiness and physical health--contributed to the prediction of older persons at risk for nonelective hospital readmission. Persons reporting worse physical health, and lower levels of happiness were more likely to be rehospitalized during the 90-day follow-up period. Of seven factors, four were univariate significant predictors of admission status: number of secondary disorders, physical health, personal adjustment, and happiness. The following recommendations are made for further study: (1) the replication of this study utilizing a larger sample would provide opportunities for cross-validation of the results; (2) more data are needed regarding acceptable readmission rates for a cardiac care unit; prospective studies are needed to better define the patient population within this specific patient category; (3) the extent to which the predictive power of the model could be improved through consideration of additional factors should be examined; (4) the practical benefits of a model such as this needs to be evaluated in an on-site trial; and (5) the use of other instruments measuring morale may add to the amount of information available about one's life satisfaction or subjective well-being. (LLL)