Older adults have heightened frailty prior to and just after entering a senior housing property, but the frailty levels decline after one year, a study by NORC at the University of Chicago found.
The study reviewed Medicare claims of 14,201 residents in senior living properties. Researchers used the Harvard Claims-Based Frailty Index to assess older adults' vulnerability to adverse health outcomes by measuring chronic conditions, acute conditions and health services utilized.
Residents experience a 10% decline in relative frailty levels one year after moving in, compared to peak.
"The measured decrease in vulnerability once older adults settle into senior housing suggests a tremendous opportunity for the industry to work with payers and other intermediaries to direct care into senior housing properties in a way that is beneficial to beneficiaries and residents," Dianne Munevar, lead researcher and vice president of healthcare strategy at NORC, said in the release.