Definition of Aphorism. An aphorism is a short saying that expresses a truth in a memorable way. Aphorisms can sometimes be humorous, but are not necessarily so. They often have some parallelism or juxtaposition to make the point, such as in the example of Lord Actonâs famous quote âPower tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.â. Hippocrates, the ancient Greek physician, coined the term aphorism.
79: Average age upon admittance to a nursing home. 40% : The percentage of individuals who reach age 65 who will enter a nursing home during their lifetimes. 892 days (2.44 years) : Average length of stay for current nursing-home residents, 1999.272 days (8.94 months) : Average length of stay for discharged nursing-home residents, 1999.113,640: The maximum amount of assets a healthy spouse can retain for the other spouse to be eligible for long-term care benefits provided by Medicaid. 49 %: Percentage of nursing home costs covered by Medicaid, 2002. 25 %: Percentage of nursing home costs paid out of pocket, 2002.
The average length of stay is just that, an average. There is no particular reason why you would necessarily expect to spend this average length of time in a nursing home, but it is a useful benchmark to consider. Data compiled by the National Nursing Home Survey places the average length of stay at 835 days. To look at some of the extremes, the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance tells us that one out of every 10 nursing home residents between the ages of 75 and 84 will spend at least five years receiving care.