A survey conducted by The National Council on Aging regarding the needs of America’s senior population yielded results revolving concerns on finances and health, as expected in the least.

The participants for the study were Americans aged 60 and over as well as various professionals who worked with them. Interestingly, the professionals ranging from doctors to counselors and credit union managers stated differing views when it comes to the issues that ought to be addressed.

Harmony Residential Care Center, a Residential Care Center in Ivy Grove SC, is going to walk you to some of these issues as we discuss, analyze and contextualize the findings of this survey. The following are some of the significant findings that were gathered from the survey:

1. Maintaining good health
   An elder person’s major concern is on their physical and mental health. A weak physical constitution and a deteriorating memory in particular are factors that contribute to their anxiety in living with old age. As such, they strive to preserve it through a healthy lifestyle and professional intervention. On the other hand, experts are more concerned about their client’s financial lives and accessibility of affordable housing.
2. Having and displaying false confidence
   Statistically, only 10% of professionals believe that seniors are well prepared to face old age while over 40% of seniors believe otherwise. This shows that older people have unwavering confidence in themselves compared to professionals. While there is no guarantee of its statistical significance, this just show that old age is a subjective matter and so if seniors positively believe they can then they will.
3. Staying in your present home
   The survey showed that 60% of seniors have not moved from their residence from the last 20 years, with 75% from the participants saying that they intend to live in their current home for a lifetime. Despite the figures, majority of them expressed their interest in seeing more available services that could help them adapt to their homes for developing purposes. Even if the majority admits that they need assistance in maintaining their homes, they also believe that their community does not have the capacity to help them out.
4. Giving up driving
   With a lot of physical conditions that would eventually diminish the senses, most people nearing the age of seniority anticipate the reality that they will have to give up driving. Hence, they expect to have a better access in public transportation. Approximately 1/3 of the participants from the survey said that having an accessible public transportation should be a vital project in the community to give them more liberty and ease to move around.