Who's most at risk of needing long term care?

Marlene S. Stum, Ph.D. Family Social Science

Individuals age 85 years and older.

People age 85 and older (the oldest-old) have the highest per capita need for long term care services. The majority of the oldest-old; however, remain independent and living in the community.

Individuals with chronic health problems.

People with chronic health problems are most at risk of needing help with daily living activities and remaining as independent as possible.

Individuals who lack family support and don't have family members who can provide unpaid care.

People who lack social and family support have fewer sources of unpaid care available to them and face greater risks of needing formal or paid long term care services. As family sizes get smaller and children are more geographically dispersed, there are fewer family members available to provide unpaid care.

Women are more likely to have long term care needs after age 65 then men.

Women tend to live longer, outlive their caregivers, and face more disabling conditions as they age compared to men. As a result, women have higher rates of using the range of long term care services than men. More than 75% of women who survive to the age of 95 years are expected to receive nursing home care, as compared to 50% of men (Spillman & Lubitz, 2000).