Inequality in the characteristics of the institutionalized elderly in the city of Natal, Brazil.

The aim of this study was to describe the differences in the profile of elderly residents in non-profit and for-profit Long-Term Residential Institutions for the Elderly (ILPI). We visited 12 ILPIs in the city of Natal, Rio Grande do Norte. Six of them were non-profits housing 260 elderly, and six were for-profit institutions, housing 127 elderly.