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About one in three U.S. adults move into long-term care facilities (LTCFs) during their lifetimes. Yet, we know little about the natural history of disability before and after they move into LTCFs. In this study, researchers analyzed data on 932 community-dwelling Medicare beneficiaries (mean age, 84; dementia prevalence, 49%) who entered LTCFs from 2011 to 2019. Of these, 37% entered nursing homes (NHs), 46% entered assisted living (AL) facilities, and 17% entered independent living (IL) facilities.
Findings were as follows:
Nearly all IL entrants were without severe disability (i.e., severe difficulty or dependence in ≥3 activities of daily living) 4 years before and 2 years after entering their facilities.
For AL entrants, the prevalence of…