The demographic characteristics of the 539 patients (Table
1) were similar to national statistics of home care patients
(1). Patients’ ages ranged from 65 to 102 years
(mean=78.4, SD=7.5). The majority (65%) were female;
10% were African American, and 5% were Hispanic or
other. Most patients lived alone (39%) or with a spouse
(37%). Among the 363 patients with income data, 26%
lived in poverty