Report examines racial differences in nursing homes

In 2004, 11% of the 1.3 million nursing home residents aged 65 and over in the United States were black. Recent research suggests that black nursing home residents may be more likely than residents of other races to reside in facilities that have serious deficiencies, such as low staffing ratios and greater financial vulnerability. The National Center for Health Statistics released a report today examining differences observed between elderly black nursing home residents and residents of other races in functioning and resident-centered care. The chart below features one of the findings in the report:

For more, visit the report at www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db25.pdf.