Days at Home After Hip Fracture Among Older Adults With and Without Dementia

Hip fracture is common among older adults and is associated with considerable morbidity and mortality; it is nearly twice as common in those with dementia, who may also experience worse postfracture outcomes. Time spent at home is an important quality-of-life indicator, but this outcome has not been previously examined following hip fracture in older adults with and without dementia.

To compare days at home and survival for the year after hip fracture among older adults with and without dementia and to identify factors associated with fewer days at home among those with dementia.

This longitudinal cohort study used national administrative data from 100% of Medicare beneficiaries from 2012 to 2021 to identify community-dwelling older adults (aged ≥65 years) with and without dementia hospitalized for a hip fracture. Data were analyzed from January 1, 2012, to December 31, 2021.

Hip fracture hospitalization.

Days at home and survival at 30 days, 6 months, and 1 year after hip fracture.

Among 1 756 388 Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized for hip fracture, the mean [SD] age was 82.5 [8.1] years, 1 237 193 (70.4%) were female, 65 889 [3.8%] were Black or African American, 93 362 [5.3%] were Hispanic, 1 547 090 [88.1%] were non-Hispanic White, and 513 698 (29.2%) had dementia. In the year following hip fracture, older adults with dementia died 50.3 days earlier than those without dementia (adjusted mean [SD] days, 264.6 [143.2] vs 314.9 [107.3]). Those with dementia who survived 1 year after fracture had 53.9 fewer days at home compared with those without dementia (adjusted mean [SD] days, 263.8 [129.5] vs 317.7 [72.9]) due to more time in skilled nursing (adjusted mean [SD] days, 38.2 [55.8] vs 24.2 [37.4]) and long-term care facilities (adjusted mean [SD] days, 52.5 [111.5] vs 12.4 [53.7]). Findings were similar at 1 and 6 months. Among individuals with dementia, Medicaid eligibility, rural residence, geographic region, and being aged 85 years or older were associated with the fewest days at home at 1 year.

In this cohort study, older adults with dementia had shortened survival and more time in skilled nursing or long-term care facilities after hip fracture than those without dementia. Differences in days at home were associated with structural and socioeconomic factors among those with dementia, with implications for health system policy, prognostic counseling, and discussions about long-term care needs in this population.