Miami University

How have the demographic characteristics of Ohio’s nursing home residents changed between the years 1994 and 2004?

On average, nursing home residents were younger and slightly more disabled in 2004 than 10 years ago. In 2004, the average age of nursing home residents was 79.4 compared to 83.1 in 1994.  

2004 residents experienced more difficulty in performing activities of daily living (ADL) than their 1994 counterparts, with an increase from 4.2 to 4.5 ADL impairments. In the 10-year study period the proportion of nursing home residents with four or more ADL limitations increased from 75.1% to 79.2%, while the proportion with cognitive impairment increased from 61.5% to 66.5%.

Figure 1- Percentage of Nursing Home Residents Who Have 0-4

               Activities of Daily Living Impairments: 1994 & 2004

In 2004, 4.4% of nursing home residents (3,293) did not meet the Medicaid nursing home level of care criteria compared to 8.2% (6,696) in 1994. In 2004, 33.9% of those residents who did not meet level of care criteria were under age 65, compared to 11.4% in 1994.

Source: Mehdizadeh, S. & Applebaum, R. (2005). A Review of Nursing Home Resident Characteristics in Ohio: Tracking Changes from 1994-2004. Oxford, OH: Scripps Gerontology Center.

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A Review of Nursing Home Resident Characteristics in Ohio: Tracking Changes from 1994-2004 by Shahla Mehdizadeh and Robert Applebaum.