Nearly Half of U.S. Seniors Need or Receive Help at Home

Nearly half of seniors in the U.S. – 18 million people – have difficulty with daily activities or get help managing them, according to a new study. Researchers from the University of Michigan and the Urban Institute analyzed data from a national sample of older adults drawn from Medicare enrollment files. In all, 8,245 people were included in the 2011 National Health and Aging Trends Study.

“Although 51 percent reported having no difficulty in the previous month, 29 percent received help taking care of themselves or their households or getting around,” said U-M researcher Vicki Freedman, co-author of the report with the Urban Institute's Brenda Spillman.“And another 20 percent said they had difficulty carrying out these activities on their own. Among those receiving help, one in four lived in either a supportive care setting (15 percent) or a nursing home (10 percent).

Nearly all older adults had at least one potential informal care network member – family or household member, or close friend – and the average network size was four people. Older adults who lived in the community reported receiving an average of 164 hours of care a month from informal caregivers – more than five hours a day, on average. Older adults living in supportive care settings reported nearly 50 hours of informal care per month.

About 70 percent of those getting help received assistance from family, friends and other unpaid caregivers, while about 30 percent received paid care.

Visit http://ns.umich.edu/new/releases/22363-almost-half-of-older-adults-have-care-needs for more information about the study.