Although women comprise the majority of memory care community residents, new data analyzed by A Place for Mom shows than men are more likely to go to a community designated for memory care rather than for assisted living.
There are proportionately more men at memory care communities than at assisted living communities, says a recent APFM blog post.
More than a quarter (26%) of 2010 assisted living move-ins were males in 2010, down to 24% so far in 2014. In comparison, 35% of moves into a memory care community this year were by males, up from 33% in 2010. That translates to 8% fewer men in assisted living communities but a 6% increase of men in memory care communities.
“You could interpret these figures as meaning that men are ‘graduating’ from assisted living to memory care, but it’s also reasonable to suppose that more men resist and refuse assisted living if they can possibly avoid it,” APFM explains. “Thus, by the time memory care is required, they don’t have the autonomy or ability to avoid receiving care any longer.”
Source: A Place for Mom, March 2014
Despite the growing trend of men in memory care, women are much more likely to develop a memory impairment and need memory care. That’s partially due to female longevity, APFM says.
The average life expectancy for American females is 81 years old, versus 76 years old for their male counterparts, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.
“With Alzheimer’s disease being an age related disorder—meaning the longer one lives, the more likely he or she is to develop the disease—it is logical that Alzheimer’s significantly affects more women than men,” says APFM. “According to the Alzheimer’s Association, 65% of Alzheimer’s patients are women, which explains why women are the majority of residents in memory care in addition to senior living communities.”
Read more on A Place for Mom’s blog.
Written by Alyssa Gerace
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