72% of Us Are Wrong About Aging: Calling bullshit on aging in place.

The last disruption to how we might want to spend our retirement years was a pop culture revolution led by four women: Dorothy, Blanche, Rose and Sophia. The Golden Girls changed the conversation back in the 1980s by showing women choosing to team up and live life together. One recurring theme of the show: Dorothy’s mom Sophia gets mouthy and Dorothy says, “Shady Pines, Ma.” Shady Pines is, of course, an assisted living facility. Moving to a senior living community was, and remains for many, the threat to end all threats. But our shoulder pads have gotten smaller, our hair has gotten better and it’s time to pick up where the Girls left off and talk about what senior living is today. While options have improved dramatically since the 80s, public perception has not. Envisioning hospital-like environments full of abandoned old women eating soup—74% of all assisted living residents in the U.S. are women (I don’t have data related to soup consumption)—we think: Hell no. We want to stay home. Real residents enjoying wine at happy hour at Windsor, a be.group senior living community in Glendale, CA. Aging in place is a phrase that has caught on over the years and, in one survey, 72% of Baby Boomers and Gen Xers said they want to age at home. I call bullshit on that being a good idea. Sure, you can retrofit your house for accessibility. You can use technology for everything for getting medication reminders to connecting with family on video chats—and those advancements...
Source: Disruptive Women in Health Care - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Aging Source Type: blogs