A cross-national comparison of the institutionalized elderly in the cities of New York and London.

Two random samples, each constituting 0.5% of the institutionalized elderly (over 65) in the cities of New York and London have been compared. This preliminary report of a collaborative study demonstrates the similarity of the 2 samples. Institutions in the 2 cities are shown to differ in size, type of ownership and the frequency that skilled nursing is provided. Some implications of these 2 findings are raised now, and will be discussed later when the full data for the study are presented.