Co Housing Older Adults with Developmentally Disabled

George Mason University’s Program in Senior Housing Administration designed and completed a recent study analyzing data, 2010 National Survey of Residential Care Facilities by the Centers for Disease Control, on more than 8,000 residents in 2,300 assisted living communities.  The study found that small assisted living communities were nearly three times more likely to house “non-senior” residents under the age of 65, the study found, with more than 21% of residents falling into that age group compared to about 7% in larger communities.

However, the smallest communities were also more likely to house residents with Alzheimer’s disease or other memory care needs, at 53%, compared to 41% of large communities, even though those conditions are typically associated with the “oldest old,” or seniors aged 85-plus. 

This is significant as the CDC residential care facility study from which the data was analyzed specifically excluded any community of any size that exclusively housed the severely mentally ill or developmentally disabled. Some of the smallest assisted living communities might be completely composed of residents with Alzheimer’s disease, according to the study, people with Alzheimer’s are being co-housed with people with severe mental illness or developmental disabilities.  That should be of significant interest to policymakers and families as it raises significant questions over whether or not residents with Alzheimer’s disease should be co-housed.

Larger assisted living communities were more likely to house older, “traditional” residents: nearly 85% were over the age of 75, while more than half (56%) were older than 85.

The study does not draw any conclusions on the quality of care between communities of different sizes, but it does highlight very distinct differences in residents of the largest and smallest communities.

GMU researchers plan on conducting a second phase of the study comparing specific quality of life indicators of an “average” assisted living resident to “peer acuity” seniors who choose to remain at home. This kind of study would represent the first formal comparison in a nation that’s looking at a rapidly aging population and escalating demand for housing and care.