Adult Children Prefer ‘Sex Talk’ Over ‘Senior Care Talk’

Adults would rather talk to their kids about the birds and the bees than tell their aging parents they are no longer fit to drive.

That’s according to Care.com, an online destination for finding and managing family care. The company surveyed 500 people online for their 2016 Senior Care Survey, about 79% of whom were between the ages of 18 and 51.

As it turns out, most adults have not discussed senior care options with their parents. In fact, they’re actively putting it off.

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Just over half—about 52%—of all survey respondents admitted that they haven’t talked with their aging loved ones about senior care issues, and 54% of respondents said they’d rather have the “sex talk” with their own children than talk with their aging loved ones about not being able to drive anymore.

Not surprisingly, people aren’t in a rush to have these difficult conversations, either. About 30% of respondents are intending to discuss senior care issues with their aging loved ones before a need arises, but 55% of respondents are only planning to talk about senior care issues with their aging loved ones if or when a need arises.

People have thought about what type of senior care would best suit their aging loved ones. If they had to choose the best senior care option for their aging relatives, 34.8% of respondents said they would consider in-home medical care, 32% would consider in-home non-medical care and 20.3% would consider an assisted living community. 

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When it comes to their own preferences, 16.6% of respondents would consider living in an assisted living community, 15.7% would consider receiving in-home medical care and 13.1% would consider in-home non-medical care.

Still, respondents’ views of these various senior care options may be misinformed. For example, about a quarter of respondents believe skilled nursing facilities cost half of what they actually cost, the survey shows.

Written by Mary Kate Nelson

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