Nearly 40% of nursing homes reported no COVID-19 deaths during 2020, according to a new study conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago.
The analysis, which was funded by the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care, estimated 2020 COVID mortality rates in seniors housing by level of care and compared the rates to seniors who lived in non-congregate settings. Findings were based on data from five states.
Thirty-nine percent of skilled nursing facilities experienced no COVID-related deaths during the year, while about two-thirds of independent living, 64% of assisted living and 61% of memory care prosperities experienced no related deaths.
The analysis also found that COVID-19 deaths across senior housing correlated with how ill the average resident was and the amount of care they needed.
“The facts include that COVID-19 transmission is more likely with close person-to-person contact and mortality increases with age and comorbidities,” Brian Jurutka, NIC’s president and CEO, said in a statement. “This study shows senior housing isn’t homogeneous, and mortality was higher in property types whose residents, on average, are sicker and require higher levels of care.”
SNFs and memory care had the highest adjusted mortality rates from COVID-19 with 59.6 and 50.4 deaths per 1,000 residents, respectively.
Resident deaths in independent living settings were statistically comparable to the rates of death for older adults living in non-congregate settings in the same geographic area. Independent living had average adjusted mortality rates of 5.9 per 1,000. That’s compared to the 6.7 per 1,000 found for seniors living in the same counties.
The analysis included data from 3,817 senior housing properties across 113 counties in five states: Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, and Pennsylvania.
For additional coverage, check out our sister site McKnight’s Senior Living.
