“54 percent increase in low-care nursing home residents presents opportunity for assisted living”

54 percent increase in low-care nursing home residents presents opportunity for assisted living,” by Lois A. Bowers, McKnight’s Senior Living


 

Quote:

“The percentage of nursing home residents who are considered “low care” increased 54% between 2019 and 2020, representing an opportunity for assisted living providers, according to a new report. Low-care nursing home residents are those who require no physical assistance in bed mobility and activities of daily living such as transferring, toileting and eating. Such residents may be able to live in less restrictive environments and receive less-intensive care in assisted living communities and other alternative settings or through home- or community-based services, according to the authors of America’s Health Rankings’ “Senior Report 2022,” published by the United Health Foundation. The data they cited about low-care nursing home residents came from the Brown University Shaping Long-Term Care in American Project.”

  

LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform:

Why in the world did we ever keep so many light, custodial care patients in skilled nursing facilities in the first place? Answer: the government takeover of long-term care by Medicaid. That’s what prevented the natural development of a private market for home and community based care and a private insurance market to pay for it.