November 14, 2025
Residents of assisted living communities and nursing homes have significantly lower odds of using telehealth compared with older adults who use long-term services and supports and live in the community at large, according to a new study. But assisted living residents were more likely to use it than were nursing home residents.
The study, led by researchers from Indiana University Bloomington and the University of Minnesota, shows that although telehealth offers a promising strategy for improving access to care and health outcomes, where an older adult lives will affect their odds of using it. The findings were published Tuesday in a JAMDA – The Journal of the Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medical Association article in press.
Using data from almost 7,000 participants in the 2021-2022 National Core Indicators-Aging and Disabilities Adult Consumer Survey for LTSS, the researchers found that assisted living residents had 20% lower odds of using telehealth, and nursing home residents had 63% lower odds of using it, compared with their community-dwelling counterparts. Nursing home residents had 54% lower odds of using telehealth than did assisted living residents.
The findings, the authors said, highlight a disparity in telehealth access and delivery across various LTSS settings. The lower use in assisted living communities and nursing homes, they said, may reflect differences in infrastructure, staffing and resident autonomy.
Older adults in assisted living or nursing homes, they said, may rely on staff members to determine whether and when telehealth is used, limiting their ability to initiate or independently participate in virtual care. Organizational workflows, competing staff demands and the availability of on-site providers may further constrain the use of telehealth, according to the researchers.
Lower telehealth use, particularly in nursing homes, is an unrealized opportunity to expand telehealth in those settings to improve care coordination, increase access to specialty care and support better resident health outcomes, the investigators said.
“Identifying setting-specific determinants — such as staffing models, technology infrastructure, care complexity and resident autonomy — will be critical for better understanding when, in what settings, and for whom telehealth is most appropriate,” the authors concluded. “Such work is essential for identifying and addressing potential disparities in telehealth use across the LTSS continuum and informing policies and interventions that promote equitable access for all older adults who can benefit from telehealth.”