Nearly two thirds of people have never thought about their care options for when they reach old age, research commissioned by a housing association reveals.
According to Inside Housing:
Anchor, an older people’s specialist landlord, said the YouGov poll, which questioned 2,362 British adults in June, showed the ‘true extent of the nation’s denial about ageing’.
A total of 64% of adults have failed to ever think about their care options, while more than three quarters (76%) have not talked about their care with someone who they would trust to make care decisions for them.
When asked, 22% of people said they would put off taking action to address their care options.
The biggest concern about care in later life is losing independence (45%), with anxieties about being about to afford future care ranking at 38%, the polling shows.
Jane Ashcroft, Anchor’s chief executive, said: ‘Older age should be a time for celebration and enjoying the fruits of your labour, but people are missing out because they aren’t thinking early enough about how they want to live in later life.
‘It’s worth exploring the full range of retirement options, from retirement villages to leasehold or sheltered housing, where you can live independently and have care options should you need them.
‘It’s never too early to talk to your loved ones about the future, and work out what’s right for you. It’s only by planning that your retirement dreams will become reality.’
Behavioural psychologist Jo Hemmings, who worked with Anchor to co-author a guide to planning for care and retirement, said people are taking a ‘gamble’ by failing to think about their old-age care when they are younger.
‘It’s time to think about it, talk about and plan for it now,’ she added.