Fig. 4

Overall and full-time care (FTC) disability-free average survival. The plots in the left panel are the estimated curves for average survival shown in Fig. 2; the plots in the right panel are the estimated average survival curves for FTC disability-free survival, calculated using Sullivan’s method to apply each individual’s estimated FTC disability-free probabilities to his/her overall survival function values at each examination. Average survival curves are shown for all participants and subgroups 0–4. Section 1.9 of Additional file 1: Appendix describes the calculations of the plotted values