Summary
A life-table model is developed to estimate the lengths of stay in nursing homes and hostels over a lifetime. These estimates can be used to calculate the lifetime costs of residential aged care to the Commonwealth government and individuals.
The expected lengths of stay in nursing homes and hostels are estimated at various ages by sex. The results are compared with the life expectancy of the general population and the life expectancy of the population with severe or profound disability.
The paper fills a gap in the knowledge of residential aged care services in Australia. Apart from a number of methodological limitations, previous work in this area has provided only episodic measurements and cannot represent the total use of nursing home care over a lifetime.