Nursing and care services 2017

The number of recipients of nursing and care services increased by around 18 per cent in the period 2007-2017. During 2017, there were 361 402 unique recipients of nursing and care services, or 6.8 per cent of the Norwegian population. By comparison, there were 306 919 recipients during the year in 2007, or 6.5 percent of the Norwegian population. The number of recipients and the proportion of the population receiving services increase with age. In the age group 65-79 years, 12.6 per cent of the population received nursing and care services. Among 80-89 years olds half are users of such services, while 90 per cent among those 90 years and older received one or more services.

2 of 5 recipients of nursing and care services are men, and every fourth recipient is below 50 years. The proportion of men who receive services is increasing, which is mostly due to increasing male life expectancy. The most significant differences in proportions of male and female recipients are to be found among those 80 years and older while there are only minor differences in the age group 18 to 66. 217 059 people aged 67 years and older received nursing and care services in 2017.

Many recipients receive more than one service during the year and the same kind of service can also be received multiple times. In total, recipients received 814 872 services during 2017. Most of the services are received by those in the age group 67 years and over.

Close to 2 of 10 recipients (18 per cent) live in an institution or a home with personnel 24 hours a day. 1 of 10 lives in another dwelling that the municipality provides, and some of these residences have limited personnel. However, most recipients of nursing and care services, seven of ten, live in ordinary community housing. Every fourth recipient with extensive need for assistance lives in ordinary community housing. Among recipients with long term stays in institutions 1 per cent is younger than 50 years, while 74 per cent are 80 years or older.

Recipients over 90 years have the greatest needs for assistance. Among them, 34 percent have extensive needs for assistance. Recipients 0-17 years old have the second largest proportion of recipients with extensive needs, namely 30 per cent. By comparison, the proportion of extensive needs for assistance varies from 17 to 24 per cent in the other age groups.

By the end of 2017, 42 percent of all recipients of nursing and care services also received some form of unpaid private help, a decrease of four percentage points since 2015.