Suicide Risk in Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities: 2003-2011

We investigated the epidemiology of suicide among adults aged 50 years and older in nursing homes and assisted living facilities and whether anticipating transitioning into long-term care (LTC) is a risk factor for suicide.

Data come from the Virginia Violent Death Reporting System (2003-2011). We matched locations of suicides (n = 3453) against publicly available resource registries of nursing homes (n = 285) and assisted living facilities (n = 548). We examined individual and organizational correlates of suicide by logistic regression. We identified decedents anticipating entry into LTC through qualitative text analysis.

Incidence of suicide was 14.16 per 100 000 in nursing homes and 15.66 in the community. Better performance on Nursing Home Compare quality metrics was associated with higher odds of suicide in nursing homes (odds ratio [OR] = 1.95; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.21, 3.14). Larger facility size was associated with higher suicide risk in assisted living facilities (OR = 1.01; 95% CI = 1.00, 1.01). Text narratives identified 38 decedents anticipating transitioning into LTC and 16 whose loved one recently transitioned or resided in LTC.

LTC may be an important point of engagement in suicide prevention.