Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2026

Publication Title

Research on Aging

Keywords

end of life resources, place of death, housing types, senior housing

Abstract

As chronic conditions dominate mortality trends, the place of death has emerged as a key marker of end-of-life (EoL) care quality. Although many older adults wish to die at home, structural barriers often lead to institutional deaths, especially among socioeconomically disadvantaged groups. This study investigates how housing types, defined by economic status, affordability, and congregate features, affect place of death in older adults. Drawing on National Health and Aging Trends Study data (N = 3,145), we examine links between housing type, EoL resource access, unmet needs, and death location. Residents of Subsidized Senior Housing (SSH) report more formal support yet still face unmet functional assistance needs, while traditional home residents depend on informal caregivers. SSH residents more often die in nursing homes or hospitals, whereas higher-income peers more frequently die at home. These findings indicate housing environments shape EoL resource availability, underscoring the need for targeted policy to reduce housing-related EoL disparities.

Funding Source

This article was published Open Access thanks to a transformative agreement between Milner Library and Sage Journals.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

DOI

10.1177/01640275261416016

Comments

First published in Research on Aging (2026): https://doi.org/10.1177/01640275261416

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