Senior living residents and their family members have a better perception of the quality of care that operators are providing during the COVID-19 pandemic than do those who aren’t connected to senior living, according to a new survey.
The Senior List conducted an online poll the week of March 15; 715 people responded, including 250 in Washington state. Results were published Thursday.
Seventy-one percent of those with current ties to senior living — they or a loved one live in a senior living community — believe that operators are providing good or excellent care, 22% said care is adequate, and 7% described care as poor or inadequate, according to the survey results. Among those without current ties to senior living, however, 30% perceived care as good or excellent, 46% said it was adequate and 24% said it was poor or inadequate.
Among those living in Washington state, where the first long-term care-related case of COVID-19 in the country was reported, 47% of respondents said their opinion of senior living and care has been negatively affected by the pandemic, compared with 40% for the rest of the U.S. Nine percent of Washingtonians said their views of the industry were positively affected by COVID-19, however. That positive sentiment was higher, at 19%, for the rest of the country.
One explanation for the improved opinions is that “the reports on seniors living alone who are struggling to get necessities during this time are leading people to believe seniors are better off being cared for in a facility,” the authors said.
For all respondents, 40% said they did not think their opinions of senior living had changed due to the viral outbreak.
