Currently, seniors face a confusing maze of dead ends, wrong-way streets, and twists and turns when making critical decisions to secure post-acute and long-term care services and supports.
- Older adults, their families, and caregivers have little support to help navigate this maze.
- Federal, state, and community programs exist to help guide decision-making, but they are inconsistent and unreliable.
Older adults, their families, and caregivers need immediate help to navigate this maze to understand what’s available to them and how much it will cost.
A new survey illustrates the widespread need for information and guidance about long-term care services among an aging population and their caregivers.
According to a survey commissioned by Nexus Insights and conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago, most older adults said the process of selecting long-term care caused anxiety (53%) and frustration (52%), while few said they felt confident (23%), at peace (23%), or happy (14%) while making a choice.
THE PROBLEM:
Seniors face a confusing maze of dead ends, wrong-way streets, and twists and turns when making critical decisions to secure post-acute and long-term care services and supports.
- Older adults, their families, and caregivers have little support to help navigate this maze.
- Federal, state, and community programs exist to help guide decision-making, but they are inconsistent and unreliable.
Older adults, their families, and caregivers need immediate help to navigate this maze to understand what’s available to them and how much it will cost.
BOLD
Jay
Newton-Small
“I envision healthcare where every patient is treated like my dad and people know who they are and don’t treat them like checklists.”
Learn More about Jay
Jill
Vitale-Aussem
“The future of senior living isn’t customer service and carefree lifestyles, it’s true communities focused on citizenship, purpose, growth and belonging.”
Learn More about Jill
Bob
Kramer
“Though COVID-19 has given the industry a black eye, the industry is also presented with a unique opportunity to recover its reputation, reframe its aspirations, and offer hope on a wider scale. If it fails to seize this opportunity, senior living will be viewed by Boomers and others as ‘senior dying’- a place to be avoided at all costs.”
Learn More about Bob
Ryan
Frederick
“New question: Should I fear growing old? This is one of the misconceptions of our times: research has proven globally that the happiest people are those 70 years of age and older. The ‘U-Shaped Happiness’ curve reveals that, despite marketing messages of eternal youth, for many our later years are, indeed, golden years.”
Learn More about Ryan
Sara
Zeff Geber, Ph.D
“Most boomers want to stay vital and useful. That might be anything from continuing a law practice to being the ultimate grandparent to serving on city council to photographing the world. The word ‘retirement’ is archaic and needs to be retired itself.”
Learn More about Sara
Jacquelyn
Kung
“Nursing homes are like public schools. There are good ones. There are bad ones. Overall it’s a hairy national mess dished up at a state level that needs fixing.”
Learn More about Jacquelyn
Caroline
Pearson
“Older adults choose their housing based on their health and mobility. The seniors housing industry must fully embrace health care as core to its business model and value proposition.”
David
Grabowski
“Nursing home is a complete misnomer. As currently constructed, they are short on ‘nursing’ and not really a ‘home.’ Both of those need to change in order to improve care for older adults.
Jay
Newton-Small
“I envision healthcare where every patient is treated like my dad and people know who they are and don’t treat them like checklists.”
Learn More about Jay
Jill
Vitale-Aussem
“The future of senior living isn’t customer service and carefree lifestyles, it’s true communities focused on citizenship, purpose, growth and belonging.”
Learn More about Jill
Bob
Kramer
“Though COVID-19 has given the industry a black eye, the industry is also presented with a unique opportunity to recover its reputation, reframe its aspirations, and offer hope on a wider scale. If it fails to seize this opportunity, senior living will be viewed by Boomers and others as ‘senior dying’- a place to be avoided at all costs.”
Learn More about Bob
Ryan
Frederick
“New question: Should I fear growing old? This is one of the misconceptions of our times: research has proven globally that the happiest people are those 70 years of age and older. The ‘U-Shaped Happiness’ curve reveals that, despite marketing messages of eternal youth, for many our later years are, indeed, golden years.”
Learn More about Ryan
Sarah
Zeff Geber, Ph.D
“Most boomers want to stay vital and useful. That might be anything from continuing a law practice to being the ultimate grandparent to serving on city council to photographing the world. The word ‘retirement’ is archaic and needs to be retired itself.”
Learn More about Sarah
Jacquelyn
Kung
“Nursing homes are like public schools. There are good ones. There are bad ones. Overall it’s a hairy national mess dished up at a state level that needs fixing.”
Learn More about Jacquelyn
Caroline
Pearson
“Older adults choose their housing based on their health and mobility. The seniors housing industry must fully embrace health care as core to its business model and value proposition.”
David
Grabowski
“Nursing home is a complete misnomer. As currently constructed, they are short on ‘nursing’ and not really a ‘home.’ Both of those need to change in order to improve care for older adults.
Nexus Insights brings together a diverse array of business, policy and academic experts to develop the ideas that will create a better future for aging in America. Our unique ‘Nexus Voices’ discussion series convenes top leaders to develop bold ideas and actionable models which will transform housing and health for older adults. Now is the time to disrupt and innovate a field that needs a course correction.
RETHINK
RETHINK AGING
Nexus Insights is helping leaders rethink how society approaches the latter third of life, which for many stretches to 100 years and beyond.
RECENT
RECENT BOLD IDEAS
Nexus Fellow Shares Solo Aging Expertise This Spring
– Sara Zeff Geber
What Makes Innovation Challenging in the Aging Services Industry?
– Jay Newton-Small
