A little extra spending on meal delivery programs can help a state sharply reduce the percentage of residents with moderate, “low-care” needs who are living in nursing homes.
Kali Thomas and Vincent Mar have analyzed the effects of “meals on wheels programs” and similar low-intensity support programs in a paper distributed by the Health Research and Educational Trust.
Thomas and Mar conducted the study by looking at state services expenditure data and nursing home occupancy data.
Other long-term care (LTC) specialists have estimated that about 5 percent to 30 percent of nursing home residents are low-care residents who might be better off living in the community, the researchers said.