PURPOSE: To examine if there is an association between brain computed tomography (CT) findings and place of residence in a series of hip fracture patients. METHOD: The CT scans taken immediately after hip fracture of 215 patients (mean age 81.6 years) living in their own homes or otherwise independently (home-dwelling group) and 95 patients (mean age 82.5 years) permanently institutionalized (institutionalized group) were analysed. RESULTS: The institutionalized patients had significantly more cortical cerebral (frontal, p = 0.004; temporal, p = 0.007; parietal, p