Senior citizens fear moving into a nursing home and losing their independence more than they fear death, according to a study, “Aging in Place in America,” commissioned by Clarity and The EAR Foundation, which also found that the Baby Boomer children of seniors also fear for their parents.
Boomers express particular concern about their parents’ emotional and physical wellbeing should they have to enter a nursing home, finds the study, which examines the attitudes and anxieties of the nation’s elderly population (via MediaPost).When asked what they fear most, seniors rated loss of independence (26%) and moving out of home into a nursing home (13%) as their greatest fears. Death was cited as the greatest fear for just 3% of seniors.Some key findings of the study:
• 89% of seniors want to age in place - or grow older without having to move from their homes - and more than half (53%) are concerned about their ability to do so.
• 82% of Baby Boomers fear their parents will be mistreated in a nursing home and 89% fear their parents will be sad.
• Seniors living at home are determined to maintain their independence, reporting that they require - and receive - limited support from their children or other caregivers.
• 63% Boomers say they are providing some kind of help or support their parents.
• Half of seniors are open to using new technologies to enable independence, including having sensors installed in their homes to monitor their health.
• Baby Boomers have not turned to technology to assist their aging parents. Only 14% have actually looked for solutions that would help them ensure the health and safety of their parents.

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