What Are The Key Changes To Service User Demographics?

A typical care home resident is an 84-year-old White British woman without dementia who requires residential care.

We have analysed over 50,000 care enquiries from the past 3 years to identify key trends in service user demographics.

It is essential for care providers to recognise and address changes in demographics to ensure that all individuals, regardless of their background, can access the care they need to live fulfilling and dignified lives in their later years.

Our article explores service users' age, gender, ethnicity, whether they require dementia care versus no dementia care, and whether they need nursing care or residential care.

Age

In 2022, people who needed care support were, on average, 84 years old. The age was unchanged from 2021 and down from 86 years old in 2020.

Here is a breakdown of the data by type of care:

*The data in the above graph is based on an extra-large dataset

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, the average age of people needing care has decreased across all care types aside from residential dementia which has stayed the same.

There has also been a 2 year drop in the age of nursing referrals in the past couple of years. There is a trend among nursing home patients to have greater needs and to have multiple ailments at the same time.

These trends have major implications for the sector and the facilities that homes provide. Continuing this trend will result in an average age of 80 years old for those moving into a care home in 2025, and 75 years old by 2030.

Age UK released a report declaring that more than 1 in 3 people over the age of 85 years are living with some level of need for care and support. This is due in part to the fact that people are living longer than ever before, and as a result, their care needs are increasing. According to Patient UK, the average life expectancy of women in the UK in 2020 was 82.6 years whilst, for men, it is 78.6 years.

Gender

Over the past three years, we have analysed how gender distribution has changed in care homes.

*The data in the above graph is based on an extra-large dataset

There is a substantial gap between the percentage of males and females in care homes. The gap is closing, however, by 3-4% a year. Historically, care homes have been predominantly female but the number of men living in care homes is increasing. Can we expect to see an even distribution of females and males in care homes by 2026?

There are several reasons why there are more females than males in care homes at present, one being that women generally live for longer than men and are therefore more likely to require a care home in later life. Furthermore, data shows that women are more likely to have an older spouse meaning that the chance of their spouse either being in too poor health to care for them or having already passed away by the time the woman requires care is greater.

Ethnicity

We do not hold data on the ethnicity of service users ourselves, but we have reviewed data published on the Government website which is a trusted source of information.

*The graph above is published on the Gov website

A huge 83.3% of people receiving long-term support in England between 2016 - 2021 were of white ethnicity. There are several reasons why the vast majority of people living in care homes are of white ethnicity in the UK. Firstly, the UK's population is predominantly white, with 74.4% of the population identifying as White British. As such, it is expected that the majority of people in care homes would also be white.

Factors such as socio-economic status, cultural attitudes towards ageing, and family caregiving traditions can influence the likelihood of a person being placed in a care home. Additionally, some cultures have a stronger tradition of family caregiving and may be less likely to consider care homes as an option.

However, it is important to note that the demographics of care homes are changing, with a more diverse population of residents in recent years. As the UK's population continues to become more diverse, it is expected that care homes will also become more representative of the broader population. Efforts to promote inclusive and culturally sensitive care can also help to ensure that care homes are accessible to people from all backgrounds.

Dementia vs No Dementia

We looked into the breakdown of care referrals requiring dementia care vs no dementia care over the past 3 years to find out whether any trends can be observed.

*The data in the above graph is based on an extra-large dataset

There was very little change in the distribution of dementia care referrals in 2020 and 2021, however there was a slight increase in referrals without dementia care needs in 2022.

The slight decrease in dementia care referrals could be due to a backlog of people waiting to be seen for a formal dementia diagnosis following the Coronavirus pandemic.

Residential vs Nursing

*The data in the above graph is based on an extra-large dataset

Our data shows that residential care referrals are increasing annually whilst the proportion of nursing care referrals is decreasing.

There are several things to consider when observing the data such as the fact that the Covid-19 pandemic started in 2020 and it wasn’t until 2022 that we regained a sense of normality in the UK. There may have been an increase in nursing referrals particularly during 2020 at the height of the pandemic due to hospitals trying to free up beds for Coronavirus patients. Many older people who were already frail and became ill with Covid-19 may have also required nursing care whereas they may have had residential care needs before.

Summary

The change in demographics of people needing care homes is a reflection of the ageing population. As the number of elderly individuals continues to grow, there will be an increasing demand for quality care facilities that can provide the necessary support and assistance.

The shift towards more diverse care home populations also highlights the need for culturally sensitive and inclusive care that can cater to the unique needs of different communities.

For further insights, or to find out more about our data and what we do, please contact hello@trustedcare.co.uk.