Self-Funded Personal Care for People with Dementia
Author Information
Author(s): Jennifer Reckrey, Karen Shen, Yang Yang
Primary Institution: Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Hypothesis
Self-funded personal care is common and costly for people with dementia across the income spectrum.
Conclusion
Self-funded care is prevalent and financially burdensome for individuals with dementia, especially among low-income groups.
Supporting Evidence
- One-quarter of people living with dementia (PLWD) used self-funded care.
- The probability of self-funding care increased with income across all income groups.
- 45% of PLWD received 40 or more hours per week of self-funded care.
- Nearly half of PLWD spent over $1000 per month on self-funded care.
- In the lowest-income group, median PLWD spent nearly 75% of their monthly income on self-funded care.
Takeaway
Many people with dementia have to pay for their own care, which can be very expensive, especially if they don't have insurance.
Methodology
Data from the Health and Retirement Study (2002-2018) was used to analyze the prevalence and financial burden of self-funded paid care among community-dwelling individuals aged 65 and older.
Participant Demographics
Community-dwelling individuals aged 65 and older, with a sample size of 4666.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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