New Report: Sizing Up The Market For Assisted Living

Posted by on January 18, 2010

Study: Assisted living programs scarce in poor communities

A new report prepared by researchers at Harvard Medical School shows that where seniors live plays a large role in their access to assisted living facilities.

The research showed that assisted living facilities are disproportionately located in areas where people are wealthier and better educated, and where home values are higher – leaving low-income people, minorities, and people living in rural areas with relatively little access to housing and long-term care options.

The study found that the growth in assisted living has been largely fueled with private dollars, which is reflected in the distribution of facilities nationally, causing wide variation in access from state to state. Minnesota, Oregon, and Virginia have the highest rate of facilities, with more than 40 facilities per 1,000 people aged 65 and older. Connecticut, Hawaii, and West Virginia have the lowest, with fewer than 10 facilities per 1,000 elderly people.

Counties with fewer assisted living options were shown to have lower median household incomes and lower home values, lower rates of people who had a college education, and higher minority populations.
To report was released in an article in the journal, Health Affairs, available here.

http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/full/29/1/35?ijkey=XBW5nJI7lq4ag&keytype=ref&siteid=healthaff