No Nursing Homes For Us, Say Baby Boomers

From ALGA

Baby boomers want alternatives to a future in nursing homes, says poll

A majority of Australians over 50 have no intention of moving into a nursing home when they get frail, and expect governments to support the development of alternative forms of aged care and accommodation, a Galaxy Poll has found.

The lack of enthusiasm for traditional aged care homes has resulted in most baby boomers putting off a decision on their futures until they can no longer live at home, the research conducted for The Benevolent Society shows.

Of the 1,000 people aged over 50 polled across NSW, as many as 75 per cent said they would only move into a nursing home if they had no other choice.

"The research clearly demonstrates that older Australians are looking for something other than traditional establishments to provide the accommodation and care they need in later life," said Richard Spencer, the Chief Executive of the Society. "The figures back- up other expert findings on attitudes to future aged care and accommodation among baby boomers, especially in terms of the strong preference for maintaining independence and remaining in close proximity to family and friends."

Australia' s older population is growing at an unprecedented rate . In the next 12 years alone the proportion of the population aged above 65 years will increase from 14 to 18 per cent.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the Galaxy research showed there was general agreement among the over-50s that the government must shoulder the burden of increased costs for care, support and accommodation for the nation's ageing population. Overall 78 per cent believe that the government must start to budget now for the blow-out in costs that is expected to occur in the next 10 - 15 years. This is not good news for Generation X and Y!

Other key findings of the polling included: city residents are the most negatively disposed to nursing homes, while those in regional and rural areas are the most positive; and up to 61 per cent of people over 50 believe that they only need to think seriously about aged care accommodation when the family home ceases to become an option.