LeadingAge, through NORC at the University of Chicago, recently released the results of a survey of 1,200 baby boomers aged 60-72.

The results might surprise you.

NORC researchers asked older baby boomers to use their imaginations: If they were to develop an impairment, what would be important to them? Where would they want to live? Who would they want to take care of them?

Some of the survey results were expected. But after reviewing other results, life plan communities may find themselves rethinking commonly held assumptions about what kind of living settings consumers will choose if and when they need assistance.

Not All Want to Stay at Home

Most surveys that ask older adults where they want to live have predictable results. In most cases, respondents—usually close to 90%—say they want to stay in their own homes for as long as possible.

But in this survey, 40% of boomers said they would want to live somewhere else if they had a physical impairment. That percentage rose to 71% when boomers anticipated that they would be living with dementia and physical impairments.

When you look at those surveyed with incomes over $75,000, the percentage of boomers who anticipate moving from home was slightly higher: 44% of higher income respondents would choose not to live in their homes if they had a physical impairment; almost 75% would choose to move from their homes if they were living with both physical and cognitive impairments.

These findings have major implications for public policy in the future. Will there be adequate resources for the large number of baby boomers who will want to move out of their homes when they face physical and cognitive impairments?

Other Interesting Findings

The LeadingAge/NORC survey yielded many other interesting findings, including data about how baby boomers view the following options:

Health Care Settings: 14% of respondents said they would move to a setting that provided health care if they had physical impairments; 42% would prefer a health care setting if they needed assistance due to dementia.

Living with Children: The preference for living with an adult child varied significantly by income. Lower income boomers were 3 times more likely than higher income boomers to say that living with family was their preference. However, higher income respondents were twice as likely to prefer living in a home attached to an adult child’s home.

What’s Important: Being safe, being with family, and having access to the outdoors were the top-3 preferences of survey respondents as they anticipated needing help with activities of daily living.

Internet Access: Technology use among boomers is high, with 82% of all respondents—and 95% of upper income boomers—reporting that they use the internet. However, other survey respondents reported significant issues with the internet. Twenty percent of lower income respondents reported having no internet at home, as did 33% of the lowest income group.

Getting Ready: Survey respondents fall short on planning. Most boomers surveyed said they wanted a son or daughter to assist in health care decisions, but over 50% have not taken steps to put arrangements in place.

The survey’s many other findings of interest can be found in this summary.