Seniors Want to "Age In Place," And Want Technology To Help
According to a new research study by Clarity and The EAR Foundation, 26% of senior citizens rated loss of independence and 13% rated moving out of home into a nursing home as their greatest fears. These two possibilities are a much higher concern than death, which was the greatest fear for only three percent of Seniors.
And, the children of Seniors also fear for their parents, with particular concern about their emotional and physical well-being should they have to enter a nursing home.
For the "Aging in Place in America" study, two groups were surveyed to allow a comparative analysis of the attitudes of Seniors age 65 and older who are living at home with those of Baby Boomers who have Senior parents.
Significant key findings include:
Peter Bell, president of National Aging in Place Council, says "These findings tell us that, above all else, older Americans value their ability to live independently..."
And Clarity president, Carsten Trads, agrees saying ".... Independent living is a key determinant of quality of life for seniors... "
Seniors cited three primary concerns that could jeopardize their ability to live independently:
They said they do not expect, nor do they receive, much support from those around them.
Of the Seniors who do require help from others, 20% receive assistance with household maintenance, 13% with transportation, 8% with healthcare, and 1% reported receiving any financial support.
Almost half of Seniors are comfortable using personal computers, Internet and email. Not surprisingly, Seniors' comfort level with computer technology decreased in older age groups, particularly those over 75 years of age.
65% of Seniors said they are open to or would like to use new technologies that enable independence. 54% would consider the use of ambient technology in their homes (specifically, sensors) to monitor their health and safety.
"Seniors are clearly more open to technology than many people believe," said Trads.
Like Seniors, Baby Boomers are open to new technologies that would help Seniors age in place, but very few are actively seeking these products, says the report.
Trads concludes "From the iPod to the Blackberry, technology is such an everyday part of Baby Boomers' lives; however they have not yet realized the potential benefit of technology to help care for their parents. More technology solutions need to be developed to allow aging in place, so that Boomers and other caregivers have more options when trying to help our aging Americans."
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