Somewhere between 2% and 4% of the population age 65 and older may have been living in some sort of institutional setting prior to the Great Depression. Not all of these people needed "long term care". In some cases, they just had no other place to go. Only estimates are available because there were no reliable national statistics available.
Bruce Vladeck estimated that by 1930 there were as many elderly people in facilities for the mentally ill as there were in poorhouses and voluntary and charitable facilities combined. If his estimates are accurate, about half of the total elderly population living in an institution in the early 1900's may have had some sort of mental disease or condition, about the same ratio as we see in nursing homes and assisted living facilities today. (Estimates of Institutionalized Population)
| The Age 65+ Population | 1900 | 1910 | 1930 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age 65+ as % of total population | 4.1% | 4.3% | 5.4% |
| Total population (millions) | 76 | 92 | 123 |
| Population age 65+ (millions) | 3 | 4 | 7 |
Source: Vladeck, 1980; Johnson, 1985
| Institutionalized Population by Location | 1904 | 1910 | 1930 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Institutionalized residents as % of 65+ population | 2% | 2% | 3% |
| Facilities for the mentally ill | 20,000 | 35,000 | 100,000 |
| Poorhouses & almshouses | 53,000 | 46,000 | 50,000 |
| Voluntary and proprietary facilities | ?? | ?? | 50,000 |
Source: Vladeck, 1980; Johnson, 1985