As an elderly individual gets older, one of the big issues that can come up is where they will live. This includes the big decision of whether they will continue to live at home or instead move into a senior care facility.
A recent survey indicates that many adults want their parents to be able to keep living at home. The survey, by Senior Helpers, was of 1,000 individuals between the ages of 45 and 64.
Of these respondents, almost 85 percent indicated that they would rather have their parents and loved ones spend their elderly years living at home than at an elder care facility. Also, a majority of the respondents (almost 60 percent) indicated that they felt that receiving care at home is a better experience for elderly individuals than being at an assisted living facility.
So, a senior being able to keep living at home can be a big goal both for the senior and their family. Now, there can be complex challenges and issues related to pursuing this goal.
One is addressing the monetary costs connected to it. This could include costs related to home care. Making preparations for such costs could help with reducing the challenges they pose. There are various tactics that could be used for preparing for such costs, including the use of trusts. Elderly individuals and their families may want to talk with an elder law attorney about what such preparations they might want to consider.
Another challenging thing related to the goal of allowing a senior to keep living at home are issues related to how much in time, effort and resources an elderly individual’s family members will need to contribute in order to achieve this goal. The survey indicated that concerns about balancing their care of elderly loved ones with their other family responsibilities were quite common among the respondents. So, elderly individuals and their families may want to have honest conversations about these issues and set up clear plans and expectations regarding them.
Source: Forbes, “New Survey Finds Adult Children Want Their Parents To Age At Home,” Robin Seaton Jefferson, April 30, 2017