- More than 90% of adults in the United States say that they would prefer to die at home.
- In reality, overall, about one in two Americans who died from chronic illnesses in 2001 died in hospital setting.
- The number of Americans who died at home increased between 1989 and 1997, but has stayed relatively constant since then.
- There is significant state by state variation in the site of death.
Sites of Care at the End of Life
Site of Death: 1989 – 2001 |
|||
Site |
1989 |
1997 |
2001 |
Hospital |
62.3% | 51.7% | 49.5% |
Nursing Home Unit |
19.2% | 23.0% | 23.2% |
Home |
15.9% | 22.9% | 23.4% |
| Source: Table created from data available at http://www.chcr.brown.edu/dying/brownatlas.htm. All results have been adjusted for age and gender against the 1990 U.S. census population. | |||
