Eli's Hospice Insider

Your patient pool will continue to grow in coming years, confirms a new government report. In 2010, 40 million people age 65 and over accounted for 13 percent of the total population in the U.S., says the National Institutes of Health. In 2030, the number and proportion of older Americans is expected to grow to 72 million, nearly 20 percent of the U.S. population, says a new NIH report, Older Americans 2012: Key Indicators of Well-Being.

The report notes increased hospice usage. "The percentage of older people who received hospice care in the last 30 days of life increased from 19 percent in 1999 to 43 percent in 2009," the NIH points out in a release. The percentage of older Americans who died in hospitals dropped from 49 percent in 1999 to 32 percent in 2009. The percentage who died at home increased from 15 percent in 1999 to 24 percent in 2009.

The report is at www.agingstats.gov.