Abstract

The Jane Dent Home was established in 1898 (as the Home for Aged and Infirm Colored People) to serve African American elderly barred from admission to most homes for the aged. Sustained by community leadership through difficult times, the Home finally closed in 1975 after growing and persistent racial and economic segregation of Chicago's low-income neighborhoods combined with pressure from state government to ensure fire safety. This history illustrates the decline of not-for-profit homes for the aged while for-profit nursing homes were capturing market share. In Chicago this trend is strongest in low-income communities of color, which may lead to lower quality of care for such communities. Support for indigenous not-for-profit long-term care may promote the goals of health care equity articulated by Healthy People 2010.

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