Demographics of Residential Care Facilities Residents

The U.S. Department Of Health and Human Services recently released a data brief detailing the demographics of Americans living in State-Funded Residential Care Facilities (RCF), such as those living in assisted living communities. In 2010, 733,300 citizens lived in RCF’s. Of those, 91% of were non-Hispanic whites, and 70% were female.  Almost 2 in 10 were Medicaid beneficiaries.  Younger residents, those under 65, were the most likely to have Medicaid, with 56% receiving benefits.  The majority of residents were 85 and older, with 54% falling into the oldest age group.  Chronic medical conditions were highly prevalent as well, with more than three quarters of residents possessing at least 2 of the 10 most common chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.  More than a quarter of residents suffered from four or more of these chronic illnesses.