Table 1.
Summary of Family Characteristics by Hospice Patient’s Residence
| Demographic Characteristic | Community Dwelling (N=267) | Nursing Home (N=175) | p -value* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Family Sex | |||
| Female | 206 (77.2%) | 142 (81.1%) | .32 |
| Male | 61 (22.9%) | 33 (18.9%) | |
| Family Age (years) | |||
| Mean (standard deviation) | 59.4 (13.5) | 60.0 (11.6) | .60 |
| 21–50 years | 64 (24.0) | 30 (17.1) | .25 |
| 51–60 years | 73 (27.3) | 57 (32.6) | |
| 61–70 years | 72 (27.0) | 57 (32.6) | |
| 71 or more years | 55 (20.6) | 29 (16.6) | |
| Unknown | 3 (1.1) | 2 (1.1) | |
| Family Race | |||
| Caucasian | 243 (91.0%) | 162 (92.6%) | .64 |
| African American | 16 (6.0%) | 7 (4.0%) | |
| Other | 8 (3.0%) | 6 (3.4%) | |
| Family Education | |||
| Less than high school | 23 (8.6%) | 13 (7.4%) | .20 |
| High school/GED | 74 (27.7%) | 32 (18.3%) | |
| Some college/trade school | 69 (25.8%) | 55 (31.4%) | |
| College/grad/profess degree | 94 (35.2%) | 69 (39.4%) | |
| Other/unknown | 7 (2.6%) | 6 (3.4%) | |
| Family Marital status | |||
| Married | 186 (69.7%) | 124 (70.9%) | .022 |
| Divorced | 32 (12.0%) | 23 (13.1%) | |
| Widowed | 11 (4.1%) | 16 (9.1%) | |
| Other | 38 (14.2%) | 12 (6.9%) | |
| Family Relationship to resident | |||
| Spouse | 92 (34.5%) | 16 (9.1%) | <.0001 |
| Adult child | 113 (42.3%) | 124 (70.9%) | |
| Other relative | 42 (15.7%) | 26 (14.9%) | |
| Other/unknown | 20 (7.5%) | 9 (5.1%) | |
| Family employment | |||
| Full time | 74 (27.7%) | 60 (34.3%) | .13 |
| Part time | 30 (11.2%) | 17 (9.7%) | |
| Retired | 89 (33.3%) | 65 (37.1%) | |
| Not employed | 37 (13.9%) | 12 (6.9%) | |
| Other | 37 (13.9%) | 21 (12.0%) | |
| Family income | |||
| < $20,000 | 66 (24.7%) | 24 (13.7%) | .0004 |
| $20,001–40,000 | 85 (31.8%) | 42 (24.0%) | |
| $40,001–70,000 | 44 (16.5%) | 54 (30.9%) | |
| Over $70,000 | 46 (17.2%) | 40 (22.9%) | |
| Unknown/not reported | 26 (9.7%) | 15 (8.6%) | |
| Family Reside with patient | |||
| Yes | 180 (67.4) | 0 (0.0) | <.0001 |
| No | 87 (32.6) | 175 (100.0) | |
*
Chi-square analysis for categorical variables, t-test for mean age.