Women As Recipients Of Long-Term Care
The stress of caregiving has been linked to health problems such as hypertension1, which may lead to greater health problems such as risk of stroke or dementia.2 Longevity in women is also associated with the onset of dementia. More than two-thirds of Americans age 85 or older, and eight out of 10 centenarians, are women. Longevity and stress of caregiving are just a few factors that play into women's need for long-term care over a greater period of time.
> Women spend twice as many years in a disabled state (as men) at the end of their lives: 2.8 years if they live past 65, and 3.0 years if they live past 80.3
> More than 70 percent of nursing home residents are women. Their average age at admission is 80.
> Over three-fourths (75.7%) of residents in assisted living communities are women. Their average age at admission is 85.7.
> Almost two-thirds of formal (paid) home care users and informal (unpaid) care recipients are women.
> Among people age 75 or older, women are 60 percent more likely than men to need help with one or more activities of daily living such as eating, bathing, dressing or getting around their home.