Opinions of AARP Nebraska Members on Long-Term Care

In response to Nebraskans’ desire to remain independent as they age, the state has seen rapid growth in alternatives to nursing homes, namely assisted living facilities. This report highlights results from a survey of AARP members in Nebraska that shows the importance of having services and policies that support aging in place, both at home and in community settings.

Survey results revealed that:

• Eighty-four percent of respondents say it would be extremely or very important to them to be able to have services that would enable their family members and themselves to stay at home for as long as possible, if long-term care (LTC) services were needed.
• Similarly, nearly nine in ten respondents agree that it should be either a top (42%) or high (45%) priority for AARP to work to ensure the availability of a broad range of LTC services throughout the state that will allow people to remain in their own homes and communities.
• Respondents view aging in place as important in assisted living as they do in the home; nearly nine in ten say that if they were living in an assisted living facility and the amount of assistance they needed increased, it would be extremely (40%) or very (47%) important to them to be able to stay in the same facility and get the care they needed instead of moving to a nursing home.

A random sample of 967 AARP Nebraska members completed mail surveys between July 18 and August 15, 2008. For more information, contact Katherine Bridges at 202-434-6329. (8 pages)