So given all of this, what effect do you expect reduced access to nursing homes to have on older adults and family caregivers in coming years?

So if there's limited access to nursing homes and individuals are forced to stay in the community longer, that puts, uh, an increased burden on unpaid caregivers, more than is already taking place.

So individuals typically-- I think all of us would prefer to reside in the community or to age at home rather than being placed in a nursing home.

And so there's been advocacy for increased use of home and community-based services, and there's been growth in assisted living.

However, home and community-based services don't provide adequate care in many cases for individuals, for example, those who have moderate to severe dementia who may require twenty-four hour care or individuals with complex medical illness.

And likewise, assisted living tends to not provide the level of medical oversight needed for those individuals.

So that adds to the caregiver burden if nursing homes have constrained supply, leading to reduced access for individuals needing that level of care.

Finally, what policy options exist for increasing the availability of these long-term care services in the United States? And then how feasible is new legislation or regulation given the current political environment?