Eighty-nine percent of families with loved ones living in nursing homes or assisted living communities who participated in a new survey said they have considered switching to in-home care due to the coronavirus pandemic
That’s just one finding from the Care.com COVID-19 Senior Care Survey of 1,000 U.S. adults with older loved ones receiving professional care.
Also in the survey, 64% of respondents said they believe that in-home care is safer for older adults than nursing home care, given the pandemic, whereas 13% said in-home care is less safe than nursing home care. Forty-one percent of respondents with loved ones who live in long-term care facilities said they have not been able to visit since the pandemic began, mainly because of safety considerations.
Additional findings:
- 58% of poll participants said they are experiencing higher costs since the pandemic’s start; 37% spend $2,000 to $3,000 monthly.
- 87% said they are more likely to hire care on their own versus through an agency to ensure adherence to their own safety rules and standards during the pandemic. Friends and family (67%) are the most common source of finding potential caregivers, followed by doctors and medical professionals (63%) and online services (46%).
- 93% of respondents said the older adults in their lives are concerned about a new wave of coronavirus infections.
