Functional Disabilities and Nursing Home Admittance

43 Pages Posted: 6 Oct 2012

See all articles by Joelle H. Fong

Joelle H. Fong

National University of Singapore

Benedict S. Koh

Singapore Management University - Lee Kong Chian School of Business

Olivia S. Mitchell

University of Pennsylvania - The Wharton School; University of Pennsylvania - The Wharton School, Pension Research Council; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Date Written: September 1, 2012

Abstract

This paper examines how inability to perform activities of daily living relates to the risk of nursing home admission over older adults' life courses. Using longitudinal data on persons over age 50 from the Health and Retirement Study, we show that aging one year boosts the probability of having two or more disabilities by 9 to 12 percent in a multivariate logistic model. Moreover, at least three-fifths of all 65-year-old men and three-quarters of women will experience disability levels during their remaining lifetimes severe enough to trigger nursing home admission. Our analysis also suggests that certain types of disability are more important than others in predicting nursing home admittance and use, which has implications for the design and benefits triggers for long-term care insurance programs.

Suggested Citation

Fong, Joelle H. and Koh, Benedict S. and Mitchell, Olivia S., Functional Disabilities and Nursing Home Admittance (September 1, 2012). Pension Research Council WP 2012-19, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2157548 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2157548

Joelle H. Fong

National University of Singapore ( email )

469C BUKIT TIMAH ROAD, LKYSPP
SINGAPORE, Singapore 259771
Singapore

HOME PAGE: http://https://lkyspp.nus.edu.sg/our-people/faculty/fong-hung-yee-joelle

Benedict S. Koh

Singapore Management University - Lee Kong Chian School of Business ( email )

469 Bukit Timah Road
Singapore 912409
Singapore

Olivia S. Mitchell (Contact Author)

University of Pennsylvania - The Wharton School ( email )

Philadelphia, PA 19104-6365
United States

University of Pennsylvania - The Wharton School, Pension Research Council ( email )

3302 Steinberg Hall-Dietrich Hall
3620 Locust Walk
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6302
United States

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

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