Nursing homes, which in some countries are called care homes, are group residences that provide many important services such as meals, activities, supervision, personal care, nursing care, medication distribution, access to medical care, and help with performing activities of daily living such as getting dressed and eating. Annually, close to 4 million people in the United States receive care in a nursing home, while on any given day, nursing homes care for about 1.5 million people. There are no data on the number of people living in nursing homes worldwide; however, the World Health Organization expects that the number will increase due to worldwide population aging.

Some nursing home residents face physical limitations, or advanced chronic illnesses, while other [Page 1525]nursing home residents have cognitive impairments. ...