Older Cincinnatians Concerned About Their Community’s Ability to Support Them as They Age

• Cincinnati adults 60 and older express growing concerns for transportation, home maintenance; staying in their current home, financial health and future quality of life named top priorities
• Nationally, older Americans and professionals who support them differ in what it takes to prepare for aging

CINCINNATI--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The fourth annual United States of Aging Survey finds that adults 60 and older in Cincinnati are concerned about how prepared the city is for the rapidly growing population of older adults. Although 9 in 10 older adults in Cincinnati feel very or somewhat ready for the process of aging themselves, only about half (49 percent) believe the city is doing enough to prepare for the growing number of older adults in the community.

Each year the United States of Aging Survey – conducted by the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a), National Council on Aging (NCOA) and UnitedHealthcare – polls U.S. adults 60 and older for their insights on how older Americans are preparing for their later years, and what communities can do to better support this growing population. In addition to the national sample, older adults in Cincinnati and Denver were also surveyed. New in 2015, the national survey polled professionals, including Area Agencies on Aging staff, credit union managers, primary care physicians and pharmacists, who work closely with older adults to gain their perspectives on the challenges older Americans face as they age.

The survey found that older adults in Cincinnati are more likely to expect their quality of life to decrease in the next five to 10 years than the national population (32 percent and 22 percent, respectively). Despite this outlook, more than three-quarters of respondents in Cincinnati (76 percent) report their communities offer them a good quality of life today, and more than half (54 percent) consider themselves to be very positive or optimistic.

Older adults in Cincinnati cite a loving family (21 percent) as one of the top reasons for having a positive outlook on life, followed by a positive attitude (18 percent) and their faith or spirituality (13 percent).

“Older adults in Cincinnati are concerned about their future quality of life, even though many report a good quality of life today,” said Rick Dunlop, CEO, UnitedHealthcare Medicare & Retirement in Ohio. “The findings show they are particularly concerned about Cincinnati’s ability to support their needs as the older adult population rapidly grows.”

Home is where the heart is: older adults hold tight to their houses, communities, yet expect to need helpOlder adults in Cincinnati intend to continue living in their current homes at about the same rate as their national counterparts (70 percent compared with 75 percent), although those in Cincinnati are more likely to say they have faced challenges with home maintenance (34 percent and 26 percent, respectively). These challenges may be more prevalent in the future as about half (51 percent) of older adults in Cincinnati anticipate needing help with home maintenance as they age, and only 30 percent say their community has the ability to help them.

With the intent to stay in their current home for the rest of their lives, older adults in Cincinnati appear to be more proactive than the national population, as they have already made home improvements, such as bathroom upgrades (45 percent and 34 percent, respectively) and emergency alert system installations (23 percent and 14 percent).

Older adults in Cincinnati are generally satisfied with their community’s infrastructure (84 percent), yet only 56 percent of those surveyed find public transportation “acceptable” at best, including 33 percent rating it as “poor.”

“To strengthen opportunities for more older adults in the Cincinnati area to live with dignity and independence as they age, we know that community-based organizations like ours play a crucial role,” said Suzanne Burke, president and CEO, Council on Aging of Southwestern Ohio. “With the release of this survey, we hope that a community-wide dialogue will gain further momentum, so that together we can ensure older adults and caregivers have access to the vital services and support they need.”

The cost of aging: older adults’ confidence in financial health drops as health costs riseA majority (65 percent) of older adults in Cincinnati expect their financial situation to stay the same in the next five to 10 years, yet more than 7 in 10 (71 percent) expect their health care costs to increase during this timeframe. In comparison, two-thirds (66 percent) of the national population of older adults also expect a rise in health care costs. Older adults in Cincinnati are also less optimistic about their financial stability in this area, with only 35 percent reporting they are very confident they will be able to afford their health care costs as they age, compared with 43 percent of older adults nationally.

Only 27 percent of Cincinnati’s older adults think it is important to work with a financial planner to help manage finances, and only 2 percent report having a financial planner manage their finances. Both Cincinnati seniors and their national counterparts report that taking advantage of discounts (46 percent and 43 percent, respectively), sticking to a monthly budget (45 percent and 43 percent) and saving money (38 percent and 39 percent) are the most important ways to manage their finances.

“Managing finances is not an easy task for any age group, but increased health costs and a fixed income can make it more difficult for aging Americans,” said James Firman, president and CEO, NCOA. “It’s vital that older adults know where to find resources, information and guidance to not only improve their financial health, but also their confidence.”

Show of support: older adults turn to family and friends for supportOlder adults in Cincinnati feel most strongly about the role of family, friends and faith: nearly two-thirds (65 percent) say that family is their most important support group, followed by friends (13 percent) and people from their faith community (8 percent). When seeking out support and services that are available to them as they age, 14 percent of older adults in Cincinnati again turn to their family and friends for advice.

“Across years of research at UnitedHealthcare, we continue to see the value of support from family and friends as a means for successful aging and maintaining a healthy lifestyle,” said Dunlop. “These relationships can also be tied to older adults’ increased positivity and optimism as the role of family and friends becomes more important in the overall aging process.”

Disconnected: older adults, professionals are not aligned on what it takes to prepare for agingAt the national level, the survey finds that older Americans’ concerns about their later years differ from those of the professionals who support them.

The top three concerns about growing older include:

A majority of both older adults and professionals feel seniors are prepared overall for the process of aging (86 percent and 77 percent, respectively). Older adults, however, are far more confident: only 10 percent of professionals surveyed feel older Americans are “very prepared” to age, compared with 42 percent of seniors.

For complete survey results, visit ncoa.org/UnitedStatesofAging. Join the conversation on Twitter with #USofAging.

About The United States of Aging SurveyThe United States of Aging Survey is an annual survey conducted by the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging, National Council on Aging, and UnitedHealthcare. For the 2015 survey, Penn Schoen Berland completed 1,650 telephone interviews from March 27, 2015, to May 8, 2015, including nationally representative samples of Americans 60 years old and older (N=1,000) and Aging Influencers (N=150), defined as n4a members, credit union managers, primary care physicians, and pharmacists. In addition, PSB interviewed an oversample of Americans 60 years old and older in Denver (N=250) and Cincinnati (N=250). The margin of error for nationally representative Older Adults is +/-3.1 percent, +/- 8 percent for Aging Influencers, and +/- 6.2 percent for oversampled subpopulations. Data from nationally representative sample of Americans 60 years old and older are weighted to U.S. Census Bureau demographic statistics in terms of age, gender, marital status, and race.

About n4aThe National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a) is a 501c(3) membership association representing America’s national network of 623 Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) and providing a voice in the nation’s capital for the 256 Title VI Native American aging programs. The mission of n4a is to build the capacity of its members so they can better help older adults and people with disabilities live with dignity and choices in their homes and communities for as long as possible. For more information, please visit www.n4a.org.

About NCOAThe National Council on Aging (NCOA) is a respected national leader and trusted partner to help people aged 60+ meet the challenges of aging. Our mission is to improve the lives of millions of older adults, especially those who are struggling. Through innovative community programs and services, online help, and advocacy, NCOA is partnering with nonprofit organizations, government, and business to improve the health and economic security of 10 million older adults by 2020. Learn more at ncoa.org and @NCOAging.

About UnitedHealthcareUnitedHealthcare is dedicated to helping people nationwide live healthier lives by simplifying the health care experience, meeting consumer health and wellness needs, and sustaining trusted relationships with care providers. The company offers the full spectrum of health benefit programs for individuals, employers, military service members, retirees and their families, and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and contracts directly with more than 850,000 physicians and care professionals, and 6,000 hospitals and other care facilities nationwide. UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified Fortune 50 health and well-being company. For more information, visit UnitedHealthcare at www.uhc.com or follow @myUHC on Twitter.

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View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150708005462/en/

UnitedHealthcare
Kathy Spenler, 952-931-4379
[email protected]
or
National Council on Aging
Vanessa Sink, 571-527-3914
[email protected]
or
n4a
Dallas Jamison, 720-333-1494
[email protected]

Source: UnitedHealthcare

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