According to a survey conducted by the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies, the most popular type of senior care for middle America is currently assisted living. It edged out in-home care and nursing homes when it came to professional level senior care.
The study looked at families that made between $50,000 and $199,000 per year. Of those that utilized professional care, 28 percent said that they used or planned to use assisted living, 27 percent said that they used or planned on using in-home care, and 11 percent said that they used or planned on using a nursing home.
However, there are far more families that rely on informal supports to provide care for their loved ones than this study was able to determine. Some estimates state that as much as 90 percent of senior care in the U.S. is supplied by regular folk, such as family members, friends, and volunteers.
At first glance, this seems to leave a very small slice of the pie for professional caregivers to work with. The reality is quite different, though. Many families rely on a hybrid of services to help their older loved ones. The above mentioned study attempted to capture this sentiment accurately, as well. They found that 37 percent of respondents would rely on a spouse for informal care, 30 percent would rely on other family members, and 4 percent would rely on friends for the application of care.
Assisted living seems to be the most widely used professional care for those in the middle class.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that assisted living is the most popular type of care there is–but it is widely used. It also indicates just how much the use of in-home care has grown over the years.
Another important takeaway from this survey was that only 13 percent of people in this income bracket felt very confident that they would be able to afford the senior care of a loved one as their family aged. 46 percent were somewhat confident. This highlights just how major of an issue paying for senior care is.
The bottom line? There are a lot of choices out there for you and your family to pick from. This might seem overwhelming, but it actually can be a powerful tool for you to use.
Choice means options. And while a lot of options can seem overwhelming, options also mean that you are going to be more likely to find the care and service that will be the most helpful for your family’s unique set of circumstances.
You just need to be able to cut through the multitude of options to find the ones that are actually going to serve your family effectively. Our free consultation sessions can help you with just that.
We’re always happy to talk more with you. Please feel free to give us a call and get your consultation session scheduled today. One of our professional caregivers would be happy to talk more with you, answer your questions, and help get you pointed toward the right resources to best meet your needs. There’s no cost to you and there’s no obligation. It’s purely informational.
Call us today to get started.
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