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Do seniors understand their risk of moving to a nursing home?

Publication ,  Journal Article
Taylor, DH; Osterman, J; Will Acuff, S; Ostbye, T
Published in: Health Serv Res
June 2005

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether seniors understand their risk of moving to a nursing home. Data Sources. We used longitudinal data from the Asset and Health Dynamics Among the Oldest Old (AHEAD) database. AHEAD is a nationally representative survey (n=8,203) of community dwellers aged 70+ years and their spouses. STUDY DESIGN: We followed respondents for 5 years from the date of the first interview fielded in 1993. Our primary dependent variable was whether respondents moved to a nursing home within 5 years of baseline; self-assessed probability of moving to a nursing home within 5 years, also assessed at baseline, was the primary explanatory variable. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We found that seniors who believed they were more likely to move to a nursing home within 5 years were indeed more likely to do so, and that most elders overestimated their likelihood of moving to a nursing home. CONCLUSIONS: Low rates of private long-term care insurance are not plausibly a result of seniors underestimating their personal risk of moving to a nursing home; such an assumption is inherent in many strategies to plan for the future long-term care needs of the baby boom generation.

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Published In

Health Serv Res

DOI

ISSN

0017-9124

Publication Date

June 2005

Volume

40

Issue

3

Start / End Page

811 / 828

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • United States
  • Spouses
  • Risk
  • Probability
  • Nursing Homes
  • Male
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Insurance, Long-Term Care
  • Institutionalization
  • Humans
 

Citation

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Taylor, D. H., Osterman, J., Will Acuff, S., & Ostbye, T. (2005). Do seniors understand their risk of moving to a nursing home? Health Serv Res, 40(3), 811–828. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-6773.2005.00386.x
Taylor, Donald H., Jan Osterman, S. Will Acuff, and Truls Ostbye. “Do seniors understand their risk of moving to a nursing home?Health Serv Res 40, no. 3 (June 2005): 811–28. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-6773.2005.00386.x.
Taylor DH, Osterman J, Will Acuff S, Ostbye T. Do seniors understand their risk of moving to a nursing home? Health Serv Res. 2005 Jun;40(3):811–28.
Taylor, Donald H., et al. “Do seniors understand their risk of moving to a nursing home?Health Serv Res, vol. 40, no. 3, June 2005, pp. 811–28. Pubmed, doi:10.1111/j.1475-6773.2005.00386.x.
Taylor DH, Osterman J, Will Acuff S, Ostbye T. Do seniors understand their risk of moving to a nursing home? Health Serv Res. 2005 Jun;40(3):811–828.
Journal cover image

Published In

Health Serv Res

DOI

ISSN

0017-9124

Publication Date

June 2005

Volume

40

Issue

3

Start / End Page

811 / 828

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • United States
  • Spouses
  • Risk
  • Probability
  • Nursing Homes
  • Male
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Insurance, Long-Term Care
  • Institutionalization
  • Humans