Table 1.
Demographic Characteristics of Elderly Medicare Beneficiaries in the Four Subgroups.
| Demographics | Coexisting dementia and cancer (n = 1,294), n (%) | Dementia only (n = 8,533), n (%) | Cancer only (n = 11,696), n (%) | Neither dementia nor cancer (n = 74,601), n (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gender | ||||
| Male | 603 (46.60) | 2,300 (26.95) | 6,242 (53.37) | 28,752 (38.54) |
| Female | 691 (53.40) | 6,233 (73.05) | 5,454 (46.63) | 45,849 (61.46) |
| Race and ethnicity | ||||
| Caucasian | 866 (66.92) | 5,650 (66.21) | 8,782 (75.09) | 55,197 (73.99) |
| African American | 421 (32.53) | 2,820 (33.05) | 2,825 (24.15) | 18,287 (24.51) |
| Hispanic | 1 (0.08) | 12 (0.14) | 45 (0.38) | 133 (0.18) |
| Asian | 4 (0.31) | 18 (0.21) | 32 (0.27) | 508 (0.68) |
| Other | 2 (0.15) | 33 (0.39) | 12 (0.10) | 476 (0.64) |
| Age groups | ||||
| 65-74 | 208 (16.07) | 1,338 (15.68) | 5,627 (48.11) | 41,700 (55.90) |
| 75-84 | 600 (46.37) | 3,403 (39.88) | 4,602 (39.35) | 24,016 (32.19) |
| 85+ | 486 (37.56) | 3,792 (44.44) | 1,467 (12.54) | 8,885 (11.91) |
| Education (zip level) | ||||
| <l0% having below high school degree | 1,129 (87.25) | 7,323 (85.82) | 10,485 (89.65) | 66,492 (89.13) |
| >10% having below high school degree | 165 (12.75) | 1,210 (14.18) | 1,211 (10.35) | 8,109 (10.87) |
| Poverty level (zip level) | ||||
| <10% below poverty | 615 (47.53) | 3,953 (46.33) | 4,432 (37.89) | 29,900 (40.08) |
| >10% below poverty | 679 (52.47) | 4,580 (53.67) | 7,264 (62.11) | 44,701 (59.92) |
| Location | ||||
| Urban | 317 (24.50) | 2,068 (24.24) | 2,525 (21.59) | 16,235 (21.76) |
| Suburb | 977 (75.50) | 6,465 (75.76) | 9,171 (78.41) | 58,366 (78.24) |
| Prescription drug insurance coverage (Part D) | ||||
| Yes | 780 (60.28) | 5,657 (66.30) | 5,743 (49.10) | 34,721 (46.54) |
| No | 514 (39.72) | 2,876 (33.70) | 5,953 (50.90) | 39,880 (53.46) |
| Dual eligibility | ||||
| Yes | 421 (32.53) | 3,534 (41.42) | 1,153 (9.86) | 8,801 (11.80) |
| No | 873 (67.47) | 4,999 (58.58) | 10,534 (90.14) | 65,800 (88.20) |
| Site of primary cancer | ||||
| Leukemia | 393 (30.37) | NA | 3,870 (33.09) | NA |
| Prostate | 336 (55.72) | NA | 3,673 (58.84) | NA |
| Breast | 204 (29.52) | NA | 2,488 (45.62) | NA |
| Lung | 137 (10.59) | NA | 1,226 (10.48) | NA |
| Colon | 152 (11.75) | NA | 1,186 (10.14) | NA |
| Bladder | 87 (6.72) | NA | 789 (6.75) | NA |
| Kidney | 44 (3.40) | NA | 518 (4.43) | NA |
| Uterine | 20 (2.89) | NA | 228 (4.18) | NA |
| Ovarian | 13 (1.88) | NA | 193 (3.54) | NA |
| Other | 224 (17.31) | NA | 946 (8.09) | NA |
| Medical comorbidity | ||||
| With comorbidity | 1,050 (81.14) | 4,470 (52.38) | 6,818 (58.29) | 16,195 (21.71) |
| Without comorbidity | 244 (18.86) | 4,063 (47.62) | 4,878 (41.71) | 58,406 (78.29) |
| Ever in nursing home | ||||
| Yes | 628 (48.53) | 4,230 (49.57) | 529 (4.52) | 2,167 (2.90) |
| No | 666 (51.47) | 4,303 (50.43) | 11,167 (95.48) | 72,434 (97.10) |
| Ever in hospice program | ||||
| Yes | 267 (20.63) | 1,007 (11.80) | 644 (5.51) | 658 (0.88) |
| No | 1,027 (79.37) | 7,526 (88.20) | 11,052 (94.49) | 73,943 (99.12) |
| Expired | ||||
| Yes | 364 (28.13) | 1,491 (17.47) | 1,059 (9.05) | 1,636 (2.19) |
| No | 930 (71.87) | 7,042 (82.53) | 10,637 (90.95) | 72,965 (97.81) |