New research from Home Instead Senior Care shows an evolution of what ‘aging at home’ means for seniors…
Studies over the last several decades have shown that seniors have an overwhelming desire to age in their own homes. In fact, more recent research from Home Instead, Inc. affirms this number is still as high as 94 percent. However, new data shows seniors are redefining what it means to age in place, with one in four planning to move to a new home to accommodate changing needs that come with aging.
“While this may seem contradictory, what we see is validation that seniors are taking more ownership of their aging experiences,” noted Home Instead Gerontologist Lakelyn Hogan. “A growing number of older adults no longer see aging in place as having to stay in the same home where they’ve lived for decades and perhaps even raised their family,” she said.
Not only are more older adults electing to move to new homes, they have given more thought to changing needs than those who intend to stay in their current homes. Of those who want to age in a new home, 85 percent have taken time to consider the age-friendly features they will want in a new home, while only 64 percent of those wishing to remain in their current homes have thought about age-friendly modifications they will need to make.
Home Instead, Inc., franchisor of the Home Instead Senior Care® network, fielded an online survey of 1,000 North American homeowners ages 55-75. Of these 1,000 respondents, 899 live in the United States and 101 live in Canada. Sampling was conducted to balance age, gender and geographic region. The survey was fielded between Nov. 21-30, 2018.
SOURCE: Home Instead Senior Care