Our study uses data from the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) to examine recent longitudinal trends (2015–2021) in the living arrangements of PLWD and the characteristics of PLWD in each care setting. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, changes in population demographics and family structures, accompanied by increasing availability of home- and community-based care options, may have altered where PLWD reside. Our study provides novel evidence of how little living arrangements of PLWD had been changing prior to the pandemic, despite these changing factors. The only major change we find is increasing functional impairment and level of unmet care needs among those residing in a residential care setting other than a nursing home, which is concerning given the limited regulatory oversight and the lack of uniformity in services available in these settings.

Please cite as: White, L. L. Y., Sun, C., & Coe, N. B. (2023). Changing places: Longitudinal trends in living arrangements of persons living with dementia. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 10.1111/jgs.18698. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.18698