Deciding whether to age in place or move to a senior living community or other long-term care facility can be one of the most consequential decisions older adults make, but disputes with well-intentioned family members can create stress, according to the findings of a new study.
Part of the solution could be for senior living providers to share the value proposition of the setting.
Researchers from Northwestern University surveyed 293 older adults every six months for 18 months about disagreements that occurred in discussions about their living situations, providing insights for senior living and healthcare providers to help direct conversations toward shared interest-based solutions. Their findings were published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
The investigators identified 124 conflicts that fell into three categories: interpersonal, involving family opinions; task, upkeep of current living space; and value-based, or downsizing. Beneath this umbrella fell friction related to location change (37%), differences in completing tasks (19%), home maintenance issues (18%), health-related issues (18%), financial consideration (6%) and safety (2%).
The researchers said that equipping healthcare providers with the skills to mitigate those conflicts could open each side to dialogue. Senior living providers, on the other hand, can use the insights to share the industry’s value proposition, including its cost effectiveness, quality of life, improved outcomes and high resident satisfaction.
“Older adults experience a wide range of conflicts pertaining to aging in place,” the authors wrote. “Equipping providers, patients and caregivers with skills to negotiate housing transitions could alleviate these conflicts.”
Family members often are involved in and influence the decision-making process when older adults consider making a change in their living arrangements. The researchers said that successful negotiations in this realm redirect power — pressuring someone to do something — or rights-focused arguments — referring to fairness or past events — to ones that focus on interest-based resolutions that understand the underlying needs and concerns of each side.
“Identifying interests is vital to resolving conflicts as negotiators facilitate agreements by addressing those concerns,” they wrote. “Providers could help redirect conversations away from rights or power-based arguments toward shared interest-based solutions.”
