Nursing Home Care Utilization
Between 1973-74 and 1999, the proportion of persons aged 65 and older residing in nursing homes fell by 26 percent. Women residents consistently outnumbered men over this time period; in 1999, nearly 75 percent of nursing home residents were women.
Data from the National Nursing Home Survey show that, in 1999, approximately 40 percent of nursing home residents were women aged 85 and older. Nearly 21.1 percent of women aged 85 and older were in nursing homes, compared to 1.1 percent of women aged 65-74 years and 5.1 percent of women 75-84 years. While the number of women aged 65 and older in nursing homes increased between 1973-74 and 1999, the rate of women aged 65 and older in nursing homes fell, implying more elderly women living in the community.
