Subscribe to this blogIndependent Living: Talking the Talk, But Not Walking the Walk
From Retirement Weekly January 18, 2008 (Vol. 6, No. 3)
Boomer women are not shying away from talking with parents about independent living arrangements – many are just not taking the extra step of planning what to do when the time comes, a new AARP study found.
About two-thirds of American women age 45 and older have had “the conversation” with their one or both parents, but only 40% have begun to plan which of the various options to take.
In terms of where their parents might go if unable to live by themselves, 43% expected their parents to move in with them, 33% see their parents remaining at home with paid help, and only 17% considered the possibility of their parents moving into a nursing home.
The majority of boomer women are familiar with the community resources their parents might draw on, such as assisted transportation, meal services, adult day care and assisted-living facilities. More than half said they’ve begun thinking about their own ability to live independently when they get older and how they would pay for any assistance they may need.
April 21st, 2008 at 12:20 pm
Speaking as a boomer woman with an aging parent, it’s very difficult to know for certain what course of care will be taken for a parent should they eventually need assistance, because you just can’t predict how long a person might remain healthy and independent. With new facilities and services for elder care popping up daily, choices made one day may very well change six months or a year down the road. So “that talk” (with TLC, of course) not only should happen, but needs to be ongoing, I would think.