Even with the
U.S. population rapidly aging, a smaller proportion of elderly and
disabled people live in nursing homes today compared to 1990. Instead,
far more depend on assisted living residences or receive care in
their homes, according to a study published in the August 2005 issue
of the Journal of Applied Gerontology.
Residential
care and assisted living facilities are designed to meet the needs
of older people and people with disabilities who need some assistance
with activities of daily living, meals and other support services.
According to study findings, the capacity for this type of care
nearly doubled in the 12 years from 1990 to 2002, to more than 1
million beds nationwide. When the growth of the population is taken
into account, the number of such beds grew from 20.9 to 35.6 per
10,000 people.
In contrast,
while the majority of people who need long-term care still live
in nursing homes, the proportion of nursing home beds declined from
66.7 to 61.4 per 10,000 people.
There are, however,
wide variations in the availability of facilities and beds across
states. The trends reflect changes in long-term care policy and
state Medicaid funding, researchers said.