Rapid decrease in length of stay in institutional care for older people in Sweden between 2006 and 2012: results from a population-based study

There is limited knowledge about older people’s length of stay (time untildeath) in institutional care and how it has changed over time. The aim ofthis study was to analyse changes in the length of stay for older peoplein institutional care between 2006 and 2012. All persons 65+ living inKungsholmen (an urban area of Stockholm), who moved to an institutionbetween 2006 and 2012, were included (N = 1103). The data source wasthe care system part of a longitudinal database, the Swedish NationalStudy on Aging and Care. The average length of stay was analysed usingLaplace regression for the 10th to the 50th percentile for the years 2006–2012. The regressions showed that in 2006, it took an average of 764 daysbefore 50% of those who had moved into institutional care had died. Thecorresponding figure for 2012 was 595 days, which amounts to a 22.1%decrease over the period studied (P = 0.078). For the lower percentiles,the decrease was even more rapid, for example for the 30th percentile,the length of stay reduced from 335 days in 2006 to 119 days in 2012, adecrease of 64.3% (P < 0.001). The most rapid increase was found in theproportion that moved to an institution and died within a short timeperiod. In 2006, the first 10% had on average died after 85 days, in 2012after only 8 days; a decrease in the length of stay of 90.5% (P = 0.002). Ingeneral, there was a significant decrease in the length of stay ininstitutional care between 2006 and 2012. The most dramatic change overthe period studied was an increase in the proportion of people whomoved into an institution and died shortly afterwards