CDC Data Briefs Offer Snapshot of Residential Care Communities and Adult Day Centers

​The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a data brief on residential care community characteristics based on data from 2016 that show sociodemographic, functional and health status, and service utilization differences between those living in smaller and larger communities (those with 4 to 25 beds versus those with more than 25 beds). According to the brief, 16% of residents who lived in smaller communities were younger than age 65 versus 4% in larger communities, and residents who required more assistance with activities of daily living—such as those suffering from dementia (42% across all sizes of facilities) or depression (31%)—also lived in smaller communities. Other common resident illnesses included heart disease (34%) and diabetes (18%). Regardless of bed size, the majority of residents were older than 85 (52%) and female (71%); the proportion of white residents was from 80% to 88% across the facility sizes.