More elderly die in the hospital than in the home
May 1, 1999
More elderly die in the hospital than in the home
Half of elderly patients receiving long-term home care die in the hospital, according to a report in the January issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
In fact, only one out of five elderly patients die at home, according to researchers. Researchers point out that they were "unable to obtain the patient and family preferences for site of death" in order to determine if dying at home was a planned event for the study participants.
Characteristics of those more likely to die at home included:
• being female;
• being severely dependent functionally;
• experiencing mental deterioration;
• having illnesses, such as cancer, chronic lung disease, or coronary artery disease.
Researchers studied 620 patients over age 65 who died within a year of being admitted to a community long-term care program during 1989 and 1990. Overall, 49% died in the hospital, 21% at home, 20% in a nursing home, and 7% in an inpatient hospice.
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