Table 1.
Characteristics of NHATS Decedents with Dementia 2011–2014 (n=281)
| Demographic | n (%)a |
|---|---|
| Age at death in years, mean (SD) | 86.3 (7.8) |
| Female gender | 174 (61.3) |
| Race | |
| White | 186 (80.5) |
| Black | 74 (10.2) |
| Hispanic/other | 21 (9.3) |
| Education | |
| Less than high school diploma | 125 (36.4) |
| High school graduate | 119 (50.5) |
| Bachelor’s or higher | 37 (13.1) |
| Median income $ (IQR) | 21,000 (23,000) |
| Marital status | |
| Married or living with partner | 85 (36.3) |
| Widowed/divorced/ separated/never married | 196 (63.7) |
| Living in residential care in last month of life | 86 (36.6) |
| Functional (ADL) Impairments | |
| 0 | 33 (11.9) |
| 1–2 | 54 (18.4) |
| 3+ | 194 (69.7) |
| Comorbidities | |
| 0–1 | 35 (12.8) |
| 2–3 | 98 (34.9) |
| 4+ | 148 (52.3) |
| Pain | |
| Pain in last month of life | 203 (73.1) |
| Unmet need for pain management in last | 28 (10.3) |
| ED Visits | |
| Any ED visit | 151 (56.6) |
| Any ED visit, mean (SD) | 0.75 (0.76) |
| Outpatient only ED visit | 40 (14.4) |
| Outpatient only ED visit, mean (SD) | 0.17 (0.45) |
| ED visit with hospital admission | 126 (46.5) |
| ED visit with hospital admission, mean (SD) | 0.57 (0.68) |
| Hospice Use | |
| Any hospice use | 151 (50.7) |
| Hospice length of stay in days, mean (SD) | 14.7 (11.9) |
a
Unless otherwise noted
Abbreviations: ADL=Activities of Daily Living; ED=Emergency Department; IQR=Interquartile range; NHATS=National Health and Aging Trends Study; SD=standard deviation