Assisted Living Facility Statistics and Demographics

Many nursing centers and assisted living facility (ALF) residents suffer severe injuries every year from unsupervised falls, negligence, and abuse. Was your loved one the victim of negligence or mistreatment while residing in an assisted living facility?

Contact the assisted living injury lawyers at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, LLC to discuss your case to ensure you receive the financial compensation you deserve. Call us today at (888) 424-5757 (toll-free phone call) or through the contact form for more information and schedule a free consultation.

According to the CDC National Center for Health Statistics, more than 810,000 residents live in the nearly 29,000 residential care communities (i.e., assisted-living communities, affordable housing) in the United States. Approximately 81% of residential care communities are managed "for-profit."

The number of residents is likely to double by 2030 as many more people into the final stage of their retirement years.

Many of the services these facilities offer are provided by paid employees, arranged by outside providers, or contracted with third parties. Statistically:

• Approximately 82% of ALF's provide pharmacy services
• Nearly 79% of all residential communities offer transportation to the social activities
• About 69% of all ALF's offer physical, speech, and occupational therapies
• Nearly 62% of all L/S provide hospice services
• About 59% of ALF's provide residential and skilled nursing care
• About 52% of ALF's provide mental health services
• Over 47% offer social work services

The demographic growth of senior citizens in the United States will increase the demand for more licensed beds over the next decade.

What is an Assisted Living Facility?

An assisted living facility (ALF) is an alternate housing opportunity for people hoping to live independently with some assistance. The ALF might provide housekeeping services, meal preparation, drug management, dressing, bathing, quality, and transportation.

Most assisted living communities offer small apartment residences with 24/7 supportive services that include help with daily living activities. Based on the facility's luxuries and amenities, every ALF resident will pay a monthly rent ranging from under $2000 a month to $6000 or more, based on location.

ALF Residents Demographics

In 2019, approximately 16.5% (39.5 million) of the U.S. population was over 64 years old, and that number is expected to increase by 22% over the next three decades. About 5.6 million people in America are 85 years and older

In 1950, only 8% of all American citizens were living in their retirement years. Other statistics included:

• Seniors are living longer than ever before, where men live until 84.3 years old on average, and women live until 86.6 years old on average
• Approximately 7.65% of men a 9.58% of women in the United States live in poverty in 2019
• The lowest poverty rate for both men and women averages between 65 and 74 years old
• In 2010, approximately 34.59 million men and women were receiving Social Security retirement benefits, which is significantly less and the 4.33 million people receiving benefits in 2020
• In the years ahead, senior citizens will represent the largest population sector in the United States overall age groups, requiring more government resources than ever before
• In 2019, 52% of all caregivers were providing services to elderly adults over 65 years
• More than 16% of all assisting caregivers provided services for residents with Alzheimer's and dementia
• In 2019, nearly 33% of women over sixty-four and 21% of older men lived alone
• In 2019, about two-thirds of all elderly renters in America planned to continue renting, and another one third were planning to purchase a home
• In recent years, homeowner trends are falling slightly among senior citizens
• In 2018, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) paid nearly 45 billion in Medicare services to the elderly, up more than 10% from 2013
• About 70% of people turning 65 years old need lifetime or long-term care and support in a skilled nursing center, senior living community, or rehabilitation facility

Assisted Living Facility Statistics

Statistics maintained by the U.S. Health and Human Services Department revealed that nearly 1.5 million people in the United States live in assisted-living communities. These residents received more support than living independently at home, but not all nursing facility services.

Typically, the ALF medical team and nurses assist the resident with basic tasks based on need. The National Center for Assisted Living statistics reveal that:

• Approximately 62% of all AFL residents require help with bathing
• Nearly 48% of residents need help when dressing
• About 39% of residents need help with toileting due to mobility challenges, range of motion issues, or bowel/bladder incontinence
• Approximately 30% of residents require help with transferring to the bed to wheelchair and wheelchair to toilet
• Nearly 20% of residents need help with eating in their "apartment" or the ALF dining room
• About 30% require housekeeping services to keep and clean and safe environment

In 2016, the National Center for Health Statistics reported that:

• Approximately 29,000 individuals lived in residential nursing care communities, including assisted living communities
• Over 15,600 residents live in nursing homes, a growth of over 14% in the last decade
• Approximate 4300 individuals received hospice services in a skilled nursing center
• Over 12,000 home health agencies provide caregiving services at the adult's house
• About 4600 adult day care centers provided services to tens of thousands of senior citizens

Residential Community Demographics

• The Assisted Living Federation of America (ALFA) stats reveal that the average assisted-living resident is an eighty-seven-year-old mobile female living a mostly independent life. The typical resident requires some help with activities of daily living at least two or three times every day, receiving help with eating, dressing, bathing, and drug management.
• The typical assisted living facility resident is diagnosed with chronic conditions including high blood pressure and osteoporosis
• CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) data reveals seven times as many women as men live in assisted-living communities throughout the United States. This number has varied little over the last few decades due to men's shorter life expectancy than women.
• CDC statistics show that elderly females level proximally seven years longer than their male counterparts.
• The average cost of living in an American assisted-living residence ranges from just over $19,000 to more than $105,000 annually
• The average cost for a semi-private nursing facility room is nearly five times as high ($93,000) as the least expensive assisted living residence at just over $19,000.
• There are currently over 88,300 licensed beds in assisted-living facilities nationwide
• The National Council on Aging reveals that nearly 7% of all older Americans need personal care assistance from others to prepare meals, provide transportation, and help with their bathing and grooming
• The average lifespan for males in America has begun increasing in the last decade
• The Social Security Administration (SSA) data revealed that men reaching 65 years of age today could expect to live until they are 84.3 years old on average
• In 2020, the annual cost of providing home health aide services to a loved one reached nearly US$54,000 on average, which is typically an unpaid position provided by a family member
• The average residence for a senior citizen in the United States in 2020 is a private single bedroom "apartment" in an assisted living facility
• The SSA reveals that a woman numerous sixty-five years old today can expect to live until she is 86.6 years of age on average
• The number of significant health care innovations have allowed seniors to live longer, healthier, and more productive lives
• The CDC says that by 2040, the population of 85-year-old plus men and women will likely nearly double from nearly 7 million to 1.4 million
• Over three-quarters of all ALF residents relocated to an assisted living home or senior living community from an apartment, home, or family residence
• Only a small percentage of adults with Alzheimer's disease, dementia, and memory loss reside in assisted living communities
• Less than one-quarter of elderly seniors arrived at their assisted living center after a stay in a hospital or rehabilitation facility
• A small percentage of senior citizens relocate to an ALF when there are no adult children available to provide help
• Many senior citizens have no other option than to relocate to an ALF when their children live too far away to provide care or unavailable due to other priorities
• Approximately 35% of residents in assisted-living facilities stay at their residence for at least a year or longer
• Less than 60% of ALF residents live in their apartment for three years or longer
• Many individuals relocate to assisted-living communities to stay socially active
• Many families choose to relocate their elderly loved ones to an ALF to relieve the burden of caregiving due to financial strain, burnout, or inexperience
• Many ALF residents relocate to the facility because of its easy access to rehabilitative care and skilled nursing services
• Relocate to an ALF can provide the resident's family members peace of mind in knowing they are receiving high-quality care
• About 26.4% of all individuals between 75 and 84 years old live in nursing homes and assisted living centers in the United States

Access to Long-Term Care

Many senior citizens require long-term care (LTC) for the provided services, programs, and help geared toward the elderly who require help with activities of daily living. Many of these residents require help walking downstairs, getting out of bed, bathing, grooming, and eating.

Numerous caregiving companies are available for seniors, infirm, or rehabilitating across all demographics. These individuals can receive nursing home care in a nursing facility, rehabilitation facility, senior living community, or group home.

Long-term care may include various care and services, including pain management, running errands, build pain, mill prep, toileting, personal care, eating assistance, housework, and assistance with medical and physical therapies.

Typically, the level of services usually provides custodial care, and intermediate care, and skilled nursing at various levels and in different environments, including:

• At adult daycare centers
• In assisted-living residences
• At home with a family member providing care
• At the family or friend's home where the patient receives care

The typical individual requiring long-term care is an elderly, single female smoker with a history of chronic health diseases that require help with daily activities. The average long-term care resident receives care paid by their personal savings, Medicaid benefits, veterans benefits, PACE (Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly), and reverse mortgages.

Assisted-Living Facilities and Nursing Homes: Licensing and Inspections

Each state requires every assisted living facility to obtain a license and follow the rules and regulations. Federal and state surveyors will survey and inspect ALFs and investigate any formal mistreatment, abuse, or neglect complaints.

The surveyors identify any problems, deficiencies, and violations that, when found, typically end in a citation and a monetary penalty. The state and federal agencies require any ALF with a citation to develop a plan of correction within a specific time frame or have their license revoked or suspended and penalties imposed for their failure to comply.

Family members wishing to file a formal complaint can contact their local long-term care ombudsman, Adult Protective Services (APS) agency, or other governmental agencies regulating assisted-living communities and their complaints.

ALF Violations

Common elder violations that could end in a written citation in monetary penalty might involve the assisted living facility:

• Failing to provide the resident with adequate nutrition to ensure their physical needs are met
• Failing to provide the resident with medical care necessary to maintain their physical and mental health
• Not assisting the resident when transferring from a chair to the bed every day
• Purposely assisting the resident carelessly
• Failing to monitor the resident or their needs and provide expected care
• Failing to provide personal hygiene assistance and other activities of daily living services
• Not providing adequate shelter or clothing
• Not ensuring the resident's health and creating a safe environment
• Disciplining the resident with physical force
• Harassment, ridiculing, insulting, or emotionally abusing the resident
• Physically, emotionally, mentally, or sexually abusing the resident
• Not providing sufficient doctors, nurses, and nurse aides to meet every resident's needs
• Failing to perform sufficient background checks before hiring any staff member
• Failing to train the nurses and nurse aides adequately
• Failing to monitor and supervise every staff member while performing duties to identify incompetence, neglect, and abuse when it occurs

The state inspector will typically review medical records and other pertinent facts and gather evidence through monitoring and observation to identify any mistreatment. Typical signs associated with assisted living facility neglect, mistreatment, and abuse include:

• Facility-acquired bedsores (pressure wounds, pressure sores, pressure injuries, pressure ulcers, decubitus ulcers)
• Unexpected rapid weight loss or gain
• Observing the resident isolated from others
• Facility-related bone fractures and head injuries
• Repeated unsupervised falls
• Personality changes, agitation, and emotional withdrawal
• Medicated sedation

Elder Neglect: Substandard Nursing Home Care

Many families choose to relocate their loved ones into an assisted living facility to ensure they receive appropriate supervision, hygiene assistance, and medical care. Every ALF can be held financially accountable when a catastrophic injury occurs when the resident is supposed to be routinely monitored and supervised.

Typical injuries and accidents occurring in assisted-living facilities include:

Infections and diseases – The elderly typically have weakened immune systems and are inherently prone to acquiring an infection or developing a disease. ALF could be held financially accountable if they failed to keep the facility sanitized, and their negligence led to the resident's upper respiratory infection, urinary tract infection, gastrointestinal infection, or infections of the skin and soft tissue.

Substandard care – The National Institutes of Health reveal that many assisted living facility residents are hospitalized or suffer premature death due to a lack of care, leading to functional decline.

Slip and fall injuries – According to data, approximately 30% of all assisted living facility falls could have been prevented had the nurses and nurse aides provided appropriate care and supervision. Many slip and fall events lead to catastrophic injuries, fractured hips, traumatic brain injuries, and premature death.

Negligent supervision – Any failure to adequately supervise an elderly resident could result in a catastrophic injury if the resident the lobes (wandering away) unsupervised, does not receive adequate nutrition and hydration, receive accurate medication according to the physician's orders, or suffers injuries due to a lack of assistance when walking, transferring, or standing

Transportation accidents – Many seniors move into ALF's to receive assistance and transportation services to visit their doctor, received physical therapy, and shop. Typically, an ALF will hire a third-party transportation company that could have a history of complaints or poor driving records, leading to catastrophic accidents with injuries or preventable death.

In many cases, the medical team and nursing staff in an assistant living facility fails to adequately supervise and provide care to an elderly resident, leading to severe injuries and death.

Don't Be a Statistic. Let an Elderly Injury Attorney Handle Your Compensation Case

Were you injured in an assisted living facility, or did your loved one die through the nursing staff or medical team's negligence? Our legal team can provide immediate legal intervention.

The personal injury attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, LLC have represented elderly abuse victims residing in assisted-living facilities, long-term care centers, nursing homes. Contact us today at (888) 424-5757 (toll-free phone call) to discuss your case incompetence.

Our law offices currently follow CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Covid-19 (coronavirus) social distancing guidelines to ensure the safety of our clients.

Resources:

• CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) – Morbidity and Mortality
• NIH – Demographic and Size of the Aging Population
• American Health Care Association – Key Senior Citizen Facts and Figures