Survey research suggests that most adults do not plan ahead for long-term care (LTC) or understand the range of available LTC options. However, there is a lack of empirical research on LTC preparations among middle-aged adults. This article presents the findings of a survey of randomly selected households in Virginia that included adults age 40 and above. The survey asked about demographic information, health information, and respondents’ knowledge of and planning for LTC and other aging services. In their analysis the authors found that, in addition to health and functional factors, greater knowledge of LTC was associated with greater planning for LTC among respondents between the ages of 40 to 64. Health and functional factors were not associated with greater LTC planning among those 65 and better, but LTC knowledge, female gender, and age were associated with LTC planning in this older adult sample.
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The National Investment Center for the Seniors Housing and Care Industry (NIC) and the Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging are bringing open access to the Seniors Housing & Care Journal in 2012, making all the articles accessible to all, free of charge. To download the articles from the 2012 journal, please visit the NIC’s website.
