It seems like old age is something of a taboo subject in modern society. We don’t want to think about getting old, and so we don’t talk about it – we just push it to the back of our minds and try to forget about the fact that nobody stays young forever. But recently-published statistics suggest that we should be talking about this topic a lot more. According to this article from PR Newswire…
- …97% of people aged 75+ would prefer to live in their own homes (as opposed to a residential care home).
- …only 54% of people believe that they will have the option of living at home in their final years.
- …23% of people have no idea what will happen to them in their old age.
- …86% of those polled have never discussed their wishes regarding old age care with loved ones.
These numbers are very revealing. Firstly, they prove something that most of us already suspected: very few people (only 3% of those polled) would choose to leave their homes behind and live in a care home. Beyond that, though, the report shows that we need to talk more openly about old age. Here are two reasons why:
- Almost half of those polled did not think that there would be any alternative to living in a residential care home. This is not true – companies like Sova Healthcare work hard to provide high-quality care in the client’s own home, and even difficult circumstances such as dementia and terminal illness can be catered for. We need to change people’s perspective on old age care, and this will not happen unless we start talking about it.
- According to this survey, most people do not discuss old age with their loved ones and make a plan for their later years. Sitting down with your family and having a conversation about your wishes could well make the final years of your life far more pleasant – after all, if you tell them what you want, this puts them in a far better position to help you get it.
Photograph by Andrea