Health and care services 2014

This report describes the nursing and care services provided between 2007 and 2014. The number of people receiving nursing and care services increased by about 11 per cent during this period. This is mainly due to the population growth. In 2014, there was 341 330 unique recipients of nursing and care services, or 6.6 percent of the entire population of Norway. By comparison in 2007 there was 305 684 recipients throughout the year, or 6.5 percent.

Two in five recipients of the services are men. The proportion of men receiving services is increasing, mainly due to the increased life expectancy for men. The majority of women is particularly large among recipients aged 80 years and older. In the age groups from 18 to 66 there are as many women as men. 210 000 people aged 65 years and older received nursing and care services in 2014.

The number of recipients, and the proportion receiving care services, increases with age. Among persons aged 65 to 79, 12.6 percent received nursing and care services in 2014. Among 80 to 89 years olds more than half uses these services, whereas among those 90 years and older more than 90 percent received one or more services.

Many recipients of the services have multiple health care needs and receive more than one service during the year. The same service can also be received multiple times. In total, recipients received 771 373 services in 2014. The majority of recipients are over 67 years of age.

Close to two out of ten recipients (19 percent) live in an institution or other type of residential care with personnel 24 hours a day. One in ten lives in dwellings that the municipality provides, and some of these residences are staffed part of the day. However, the vast majority of recipients of nursing and care services, seven in ten, live in a private home. Every fourth receiver with extensive needs live in a private home. Among recipients with long term stay in nursing homes only 1 percent is younger than 50 years, whereas 76 percent are 80 years or older.

Recipients over 90 years have the highest aid needs; 34 percent of the recipients have extensive aid needs. Recipients 0-17 years old have the second largest proportion with extensive care needs, at 28 percent. By comparison, the proportion of extensive aid needs varies from 17 to 23 percent in the other age groups.

Formal long-term care is complemented by informal, usually unpaid, care by family and friends. In 2014, 46 percent of all service recipients also received some form of unpaid informal service.