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Cost-Benefit Analyses of Sprinklers in Nursing Homes for Elderly

Author

Listed:
  • Jaldell, Henrik

    (Dept. of Economics)

Abstract

The risk of dying in fires in nursing homes is six times the risk of dying in fires at home in Sweden. The risk of being injured in nursing homes is even higher. The reason is that fire alarms do not help if people have problems moving around, or have dementia and do not understand what is going on. One way to reduce this risk is to install fire sprinklers. The benefits depend on the value we put on elderly people living in nursing homes. Their life expectancy is 3.2 years. This study measures the benefits and compares them in terms of the monetary value of full lives, life years and quality adjusted life years (QALYs) for deaths and injuries. The results show that sprinklers are cost-effective in newly built nursing homes no matter what value of life is used. However, if sprinklers are installed in already existing buildings, they are cost-effective only if the value of a statistical life is used.

Suggested Citation

  • Jaldell, Henrik, 2012. "Cost-Benefit Analyses of Sprinklers in Nursing Homes for Elderly," Karlstad University Working Papers in Economics 5, Karlstad University, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:hhs:kaunek:0005
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    QALY; value of statistical life; nursing home; fire safety; sprinklers; elderly;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H75 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - State and Local Government: Health, Education, and Welfare
    • I11 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Analysis of Health Care Markets
    • J14 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of the Elderly; Economics of the Handicapped; Non-Labor Market Discrimination
    • K32 - Law and Economics - - Other Substantive Areas of Law - - - Energy, Environmental, Health, and Safety Law

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