Most Long-Term Acute Care Hospital Residents Die Within Five Years

A study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society suggests most seniors sent to long-term acute-care hospitals (LTACHs) die within five years, having spent most of their remaining life as an inpatient, reports Reuters Health . The researchers investigated 14,072 people on Medicare who were transferred from regular acute-care hospitals to LTACHs, with the average beneficiary spending 66 percent of their remaining life in a hospital or inpatient environment. Moreover, 37 percent died in an LTACH without ever returning home, and often without getting any hospice care in their final days. "Even before going to the LTACH, you should have an honest discussion with your doctors and those closest to you about whether staying in a hospital setting and undergoing invasive procedures is most closely aligned with your values and goals," recommends the University of California, San Francisco's Anil Makam. "For some the answer will be yes, but for others, they might prefer to focus on relieving their symptoms and optimizing their quality of life, even if that means they might not live as long."