DataPoint: Assisted Living Characteristics

A 2016 National Study of Long-Term Care Providers (NSLTCP) performed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that 52 percent of residents in residential care communities were age 85 and over. In 2016, 25 percent of residents living in assisted living communities and other residential care communities (personal care homes and adult care homes) with 4 to 25 beds used at least some form of Medicaid coverage. As the number of beds in residential care communities increased, Medicaid usage decreased. In residential care communities with 26 to 50 beds, 18 percent of residents used Medicaid. The rate was 14 percent in communities with more than 50 beds.

The frequency of Alzheimer's disease and depression was also higher in smaller assisted living and residential care communities. Alzheimer's disease and depression appeared in 51 percent of residents in communities with 4 to 25 beds, in 44 percent of residents in communities with 26 to 50 beds, and 39 percent of residents in communities with over 50 beds. Additionally, the 2016 NSLTCP data revealed that, overall, 64 percent of residents needed bathing assistance, the most frequent functional limitation among residents in assisted living and other residential care communities. Bathing assistance was needed for 60 percent of residents in large communities and 76 percent of residents in smaller communities. The frequency of falls over the previous 90 days also differed based on the number of beds. Residents living in communities with 4 to 25 beds fell 12 percent of the time in the previous 90 days, while 24 percent of residents in communities with more than 50 beds experienced a fall during the same time span. In 2016, 14 percent of residents in residential care communities visited a hospital emergency department in the previous 90 days.

To view the entire NSLTCP report, click here.

Contact: Ken Allison, kallison@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8820