Abstract
Assisted living (AL) is an increasingly common, place of care for dying persons. However, it remains unclear to what extent residents are able to age in place or if AL represents an additional transition before death. Examine the sociodemographic characteristics, comorbidities, health care utilization, and end-of-life care pathways of AL residents before death. A national cohort study of fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries residing in large AL communities (25+ beds) during the month of January 2017 with 3 years of follow-up, using administrative claims data. 268,812 AL residents. Sociodemographic characteristics, comorbidities, and health care utilization at the end of life. Between 2017 and 2019, 35.1% of the study cohort died. Decedents were more likely than the overall AL population to be 85 years old or older (76.5% vs. 59.5%), and diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and related dementia (70.3% vs. 51.6%). Most decedents (96.2%) had some presence in AL during the last year of life, but over 1 in 5 left AL before the last month of life. Among those in AL on day 30 before death, nearly half (46.4%) died in place without any health care transition, while 13.2% had 3 or more transfers before dying. AL is an important place of care for dying persons, especially for those with dementia. These findings indicate a need to assess existing policies and processes guiding the care of the frail and vulnerable population of dying AL residents.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.