Prepared to Care? Hawaii AARP Members’ Opinions on Caregiving and Long-Term Care

AARP’s Hawaii State Office commissioned this survey to explore the views of its members, both caregivers and non-caregivers, ages 50-80 on their preferences and affordability of long term care, and to learn more about what services and supports caregivers need to continue providing these invaluable services to their family members and friends.

Key findings include:

• Most AARP members surveyed in Hawaii are not confident they could afford the cost of long-term care in a nursing home if it was needed, with 21% not very confident and 41% not at all confident.  While home care is considerably less expensive, not many more respondent are confident of their ability to pay for this type of care, either (21% not very confident, 29% not at all confident).
  
• More than three out of five respondents (62%) agree the cost of long-term care should be shared between the individual and the state.
  
• Nearly eight in ten respondents say they would prefer to receive long-term care in the home, while only a small percentage of respondents (13%) would opt for institutional care.
  
• Nearly four out of five respondents say it would be very important to them to have a central place where they could get information about all types of long-term care services as well as apply for the services and benefits for which they or their family might be eligible.
  
  

These results are based on a telephone survey, fielded September 1-15, 2011, of AARP members aged 50-80 in Hawaii. A total of 1,001 interviews were completed in the state.  Results are weighted to reflect the AARP membership population in Hawaii. For more information, please contact Katherine Bridges at 202-434-6329.