Low-Care SNF Resident Count Increase Presents Assisted Living Opportunity

Nursing Homes

From 2019 to 2020, there has been a rise in the number of residents in nursing homes that come under the low-care category. As per a recent report, this increase represents a business opportunity for providers of assisted living services. The United Health Foundation published the so-called Senior Report 2022 as well.

The residents do not require any physical help with bed mobility as well as daily living activities like eating, transferring and toileting. As per the report, they may be capable of living in a less restrictive setting as well as getting care that is less intensive in alternative settings, including senior assisted living locations, or through community- or home-based services. The Brown University Shaping Long-Term Care in American Project is the source of the data that the publisher of the report, the United Health Foundation, cited about those residents.

As per the authors, the nationwide resident count increased from around 10% to 15% in the aforesaid period. Thus, it reached its highest position in the ten years this report has been made. Before the latest increase, as per the report, there was a 19% reduction in the resident count, from around 12% to about 10%, in the 2010-19 period.

The resident count went up in 49 US states, and that increase was by at least 25% in all those states except for five. Utah led the way with around a 180% increase, followed by Ohio and the state of North Carolina.

Missouri had the highest resident count in all skilled nursing facilities, followed by Oklahoma and Kansas. Hawaii, South Carolina and Maine had the lowest resident count.

The report offers a picture of the wellbeing and health of seniors in the country as well as contains long-term disparities and trends across subpopulations supposed to advocate action and dialogue for better senior health nationwide.

As per the authors, the US had over 55.6 million people aged 65 years and above in 2020, making up around 17% of the nation’s population. It is likely to go up to around 73 million by 2030 as the final baby set of baby boomers becomes older adults. At that point, over one in five people in the nation will reach the retirement age. Therefore, as per the authors, community leaders, public health officials and policymakers should think about the best ways of safeguarding and improving older Americans’ health.