Thu 05 Sep 2024 - As the population ages, the provision of adult long-term care is one of the major challenges facing the UK and other developed nations. Long-term care (LTC) funding for the elderly is complex, reflecting the range and level of services provided, with the total cost depending on the duration of LTC required.
Institutional care settings (for example nursing and residential care homes) represent the most expensive form of LTC. Planning and funding for institutional LTC requires an understanding of the factors affecting the mortality (and hence duration and cost of care) of LTC recipients.
Using data provided by Bupa, one of the largest providers of residential and nursing care in Britain, this paper investigated the factors affecting the mortality of residents of institutional LTC facilities for the elderly over the period 2016 to 2019.
Consistent with existing research, the majority of residents were female and had a higher average age profile compared with male residents. Results showed that the average length of stay was approximately 1.6 times longer for females relative to males for those residents who died during the investigation period. For both males and females, new residents experienced higher mortality in the first year post admission compared to existing residents.