A national survey of Canadians indicates that seven in 10 hope to be able to spend their senior years aging at the family home, but with Ontario and Quebec residents less keen on the prospect than their coastal cousins.
Of those adults polled by Acrobat Research on behalf of the Toronto-based caregiving service Living Assistance Services, 70 per cent want both themselves and their parents to age in their own homes. The older people get, the more they express a desire to stay at home as they age: 65.4 per cent of 18-29 year olds compared to 68 per cent of 30-49 year olds and 71.8 of those over 50.
Citizens of British Columbia and Atlantic Canada were more likely to be homebodies than those from Ontario and Quebec. While 77.9 per cent in Atlantic Canada expressed a desire to “age-in-place,” 27 per cent of Quebec residents did not seem to mind the idea of moving out into a resident home when the time comes. Three in 10 Ontarians did not express a preference for aging-in-place, as opposed to B.C., where 78.9 per cent wanted to age-in-place.
Perceived diminished opportunities for sexual intimacy was one issue cited by those who were not partial to nursing homes. This was more important to men than women in the poll.
