The Industry They Love to Hate
In the words of 20th Century philosopher Rodney Dangerfield, the Aging Services industry gets no respect. Although Pennsylvania is home to dozens of excellent communities and healthcare facilities, the industry as a whole is still regarded negatively by too many. Let’s look a little deeper into this and understand why the general reputation of Senior Living as a whole fails to reflect the reality on the ground.
Let’s start with perception. Less than 10% of the oder adult population overall will require long-term in-patient clinical care (excluding Residential Living, which is not need-based, and paid or unpaid home-based care). This means that relatively few people have direct or indirect experience of Senior Living. For a majority of people, the concept of Senior Living is secondhand, shaped by what they read and what they hear more than by what they actually know. Interestingly, a recent survey by LeadingAge finds that 45% of the public has a favorable view of Aging Services (v. 20% unfavorable, and 35% “don’t know”). Yet, of those who have experience with Aging Services, 68% say it was positive.
Media is partly at fault, since alarming news sell papers, magazines and “clicks.” Even outlets designed for older readers, like the AARP Bulletin, are more likely to publish a story about lack of staffing in nursing centers than about the thousands of positive examples of human generosity and love for one’s neighbor that take place within nursing centers every single day. Regarding the widespread concern about lack of staffing, we are glad to share that as we write these lines, the latest statistics from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services Research show the Health Care Center at Cross Keys Village as the most generously staffed nursing center in our area.
Another complex element is imaginary guilt. We often hear variations on “I would never put my mom in a nursing home.” Such a sentiment, expressed through gritted teeth as a caregiving situation gets more and more fraught, relies on negative stereotypes. Those of us with parents who have regained their physical and emotional wellness in a sunny, clean and nurturing long-term setting will be glad to sit down with you and help you gain insight and nuance.
The need for nursing care continues to shrink as other models of Aging Services delivery – less costly and less labor-intensive – are adopted for new generations of elders with mobility and cognitive deficiencies. But it will not disappear. Instead, nursing facilities will adapt, evolve, and improve. It is our industry’s responsibility to educate the public, and it is also the public’s responsibility to educate themselves and do research on local providers of Aging Services before their family’s need becomes an emergency.