New study reveals need for more funding for alternatives to nursing home care

Senior citizens who do not have children to help care for them are less likely to have to go into a nursing home if they live in a state that spends more on home- and community- based services found.   Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago report the finding in the May 11 issue of the Journals of Gerontology: Social Sciences.

Naoko Muramatsu, associate professor of community health sciences at the UIC School of Public Health and lead author of the study stated  “There has been little evidence, prior to this study, to show that spending more money on these services helps seniors avoid or delay placement in a nursing home.”

Some states spend as little as $35 per person each year on home- and community-based services for seniors, while other states spend more than $1,300 per person annually, according to previous research.

Regardless of how much was spent on home- and community-based services, the researchers found that doubling states’ spending on services would reduce the risk of nursing home admission among childless seniors by 35 percent.

The study was funded by the National Institute on Aging, one of the National Institutes of Health.