64 per cent would prefer assisted living to family caregiver claims poll
MELBOURNE: Almost two-thirds (64%) of respondents to a recent survey who were aged 60 or more years said they would rather live in an assisted living community than be cared for by their adult children should their day-to-day lives “become too difficult.”
The online survey of 1,003 randomly selected people from across the United States, conducted by a third party over three days in July on behalf of durable medical equipment company Aeroflow Healthcare, also found that 80% of respondents were open to moving to an assisted living community in general.
Almost 96% of poll participants said their adult children were not caring for them now, but more than 46% of respondents said they were concerned that they could become a burden to their families in the future. The survey also asked incontinence-related questions, and Aeroflow Director of Urology Mica Phillips said that issues such as incontinence may play a role in respondents’ positive attitudes toward assisted living.
“Assisted living arrangements help seniors maintain a sense of privacy,” Phillips said. “[Forty-six] percent of seniors are concerned about becoming a burden to their family. This number could be associated with the embarrassment and anxiety that’s often paired with incontinence. In an assisted living home, they will have other caregivers who can provide them with the proper care needed to live a stress-free life.”
