Manisha Sengupta

Trends in length of hospice care from 1996 to 2007 and the factors associated with length of hospice care in 2007: findings from the National Home and Hospice Care Surveys.

Using the National Home and Hospice Care Surveys, we examined trends in length of hospice care from 1996 to 2007 and the factors associated with length of care in 2007. Results suggest that the increasing average lengths of care over time reflect the increase in the longest duration of care. For-profit ownership is associated with hospice care received for over a year.

Racial Differences in Dementia Care Among Nursing Home Residents

Objectives: This article aims to describe potential racial differences in dementia care among nursing home residents with dementia. Methods: Using data from the 2004 National Nursing Home Survey (NNHS) in regression models, the authors examine whether non-Whites are less likely than Whites to receive special dementia care—defined as receiving special dementia care services or being in a dementia special care unit (SCU)—and whether this difference derives from differences in resident or facility characteristics. Results: The authors find that non-Whites are 4.3 percentage points less likely than Whites to receive special dementia care. Discussion: The fact that non-Whites are more likely to rely on Medicaid and less likely to pay out of pocket for nursing home care explains part but not all of the difference. Most of the difference is due to the fact that non-Whites reside in facilities that are less likely to have special dementia care services or dementia care units, particularly for-profit facilities and those in the South.

Oldest Old Long-Term Care Recipients: Findings From the National Center for Health Statistics’ Long-Term Care Surveys

The purpose of this study was to examine socio-demographic and health characteristics of the oldest old receiving services from three types of long-term care (LTC) providers. About 45% of nursing home residents in 2004 and 22% of home health care patients and 38% of discharged hospice care patients in 2007 were 85 years and older. The oldest old across the three LTC settings were predominantly White and women. More than two thirds of oldest old nursing home residents, home health care patients, and discharged hospice care patients needed assistance in performing three or more activities of daily living (ADLs) and were bladder incontinent. Hypertension and heart disease were the two most common chronic health conditions that the oldest old LTC recipients had across the care settings. Results provide a baseline that can be used to make comparisons with other new and emerging LTC providers like residential care and home care.