Will there be affordable long care facilities for us in the next 20 years?

Assisted living facilities are big business! I was listening to a fantastic article on public radio about it. It’s a business, plain and simple. It’s for profit!

Sorry you all, I’m just volunteering and misplaced my frustration with those I was doing my best to help. It’s a bit of a mess when dealing with people newly arrived to America. Well, the US. After doing it for a week I chose to drink wine and yes, it helped me forget enough to sleep peacefully again.

I’ll continue to help others but please understand that both immigrants and elders can be difficult. No matter what we offer people or how generous we think it is, people lived doing things their own way and want to continue doing so. I get it, I like the way I organize my kitchen cabinets and live in my home and on and on. I want to do it my way just as everyone else does 😊🙏

There was a Silver Nest home in Kings Mills OH (northern Cincinnati), nice neighborhood. Everyone was credit checked, criminal background checks and had several meetings before they moved in together. They lasted three weeks. All were women who had had their own homes. All four women agreed it was a total disaster. Everyone should remember tThe Golden Girls was a TV sitcom, not real life. I can’t see it working out for very many people.

I think there will be facilities available. Whether or not they will be affordable is another issue. Everyone should be focusing on saving for retirement. But many people don’t want to do that or won’t make budget concessions now to save for later. I can’t remember who said but I agree we need to hold our retirement funds hostage.

I won't get into it here, but I honestly don't think we're going to have to worry about it too far into the future. Beyond that, robots could be a very real and convenient possibility. There are great strides being made on that end. Look at all the AI stuff going on which is not necessarily a good thing. Unless we do get a socialized model of long term care, I don't know if it will ever be affordable unfortunately. As far as me, I've told my family once it gets to the point where I am no longer useful and just taking up space put me down like a horse or grab the nearest pillow. ;)

https://youtu.be/-DC2rpibCPA

Geaton, I get what you’re saying but no. I speak with these immigrants daily.. try to. There are so many Mayan languages and they speak no Spanish or English. None. They might hear it in the marketplace but they don’t speak it. In Florida you will soon only have the option of being wealthy enough to pay for caregivers that will take care of you willingly due to the income you provide or you’ll move elsewhere. This is no secret, Ms Mathew was brought in to slash Medicaid but is not able to do so until after the next election. Most of us here have known this for years.. nothing new.

Every day I hear how adverse these immigrants are to providing personal care to you, me! or our loved ones. Lately I’ve listened to hundreds of Venezuelans insist they will never be that desperate that they’ll wipe some old white person’s wrinkly old *ss in order to live in this country. They’d rather wash cars, clean floors, pick berries, deliver pizzas and so on.

They don’t have nursing homes all over and do not get why we do. They see North America, the UK.. and Australia? (Only been there once so I have no opinion) and don’t understand why we’d not provide for our our parents, family, friends that they’d need to live away from us. It’s really just different. So different.
Next week I’ll travel and will hopefully have more positive things to share but right now it’s a bit of a mess.

From what I am seeing out there I think we may be seeing the last generation willing to do any caring in the home. I think affordable is the word here. I expect that in a future (I will not live to see) we will have a much more socialized medical system because we will HAVE to have it. It is not affordable today, and it will only be worse in the future. I can't even imagine, but our parents couldn't imagine the future we live in today, either.

I think it's a good thing to know now that your kids are not willing to help, outside of any judgment about that decision. I'm 60 and manage care for 4 relatives between the ages of 85 to 100. They all "expected" family members to take care of them. This is an old-world model that is currently failing for many.

Regarding the future: there are so many advances in medicine and technology in a year that I don't think it's a productive exercise to think about "what might be". They may come up with a cure for dementia, Parkinsons, Alzheimers, etc. and become so good at replacing body parts, we just can't imagine right now. I'm connected to the med-tech industry and can assure you lots is going on.

The biggest issue now and maybe into the near future is the supply and demand of inexpensive physical labor. Birthrates have dropped, younger generations do not want to do that "icky" work at any price. For right now the govt needs to fix the immigration policy so that low-wage workers can legally come in and fulfill their dreams of pursuing happiness, and others can get the affordable care they need.

I am questioning the advice to bring in immigrants in order to fill the gap, why is it supposed to be okay to offer low pay and treat employees like crap as long as they are desperate enough to take it? When did the role of nursing - true hands on caring for people and not highly advanced trauma or surgical care - become such a disdained and undervalued occupation?

What to do with all the elders as the Baby Boomers continue to age is a huge impending crisis. Free college for all! Forgiveness of federal student loan debt! are getting far more media attention (and congressional interest) than the impending elder crisis.

Around the table one night, I asked Hubs & teens what to do when Dad & I can't cut our own toenails anymore... or need loads of care. Ha! Hubs has magical thinking that foreign handmaids will appear to meet his needs (& obviously cash to pay them). Daughter says that's our problem & plans to move... very very far away. Son is studying physics & hopes to study engineering too. He said robots will do it.

So that's our plan. Robots. Programmed to cut toenails, plus drink service for Friday happy hour :)

I have installed a good bit of aging related features in both of my houses. Lowered counters to wheelchair height, stair lift stems on staircases, walk-in bathtubs, walk-in showers with shower benches. Extra large size to accommodate lift or other bath aids, heavy duty hand grips in showers and tugs, height adjustable shower heads. Hope to age in place. Long term budgeting for in-home help.

I envision groups of friends getting together and moving into one large house together, sharing expenses, helping each other through illness (and death) and perhaps sharing the cost of an in-house nurse to assist everyone in the home who needs assistance. I do not plan on my children helping me at all in old age even though I watched over my Mother since my dad died when I was 19 years old and until Mom died when I was 51. Most of my friends remained single and have no children. I think we are all going to have to stick together and help each other when we are old and failing. Retirement communities and assisted living are way too expensive for most of us.

68 year old Boomer here......and the short answer is a resounding "NO". Unless Congress comes up with a plan that began yesterday we will be in dire straights.
Medicare is a godsend to most (as long as you have the finances to support it), but those with no resources have Medicaid to foot the bill which government pays for exclusively. Not always the best of care. We could stop with removing the tax cap so everyone at all income levels would be contributing which would add a substantial boost....but that's just for starters. Seems government is sleeping at the wheel when it comes to long term planning. As for me, my plans are to move into a retirement manufactured home park because of the affordability and leaves me with remaining assets to simply enjoy life. Don't want my kids to have the burden of taking care of me....I will spend down my money and then check out. We'll see how that goes : )

There will be paid options, perhaps even more costly than now.  Whether or not the level of care will remain the same, deteriorate, or get better may probably depend on how many people can actually afford the expensive facilities.

I noticed something interesting a few weeks ago when I was checking out companies.   I don't know if this is a trend or not, but suspect it might be, or may become so.

I discovered that one nationwide home care agency is owned by an LLC, which also owns another company in the general geriatric medical and care field.   This could make more cash available for purchasing home care and related companies, creating more competition.    But the LLC ownership obviously means that the individual partners are looking for returns, now and in the future. 

What I think really needs to happen is more focus on caring at home, with funds allocated for retrofitting homes which may have been designed for much younger occupants.    And that depends a lot on who's elected, whether or not a strong consumer lobby can successfully lobby Congress, and whether or not the institutional lobby will out maneuver the citizen lobby.

Another focus that needs to be strengthened is the family and extended community one, to help support aging in place.   There's a vast difference between the senior centers in this area.  A few are outstanding.  In my father's community the SC had a registered dietician and social worker on staff, plus two small buses for transportation.    My community finally got a bus last year, but only for 3 hours per day.

The kind of system libraries have, facilitating  lending of books to other  libraries, would be helpful.   And the less experienced senior centers could learn from the more experienced ones.

AARP considers itself an advocate for improved issues of senior living.    The field could use more advocates, but those focused sincerely on potential patients as opposed to increasing their share of the market.

What I would, and plan to do, is start retrofitting to adapt to age limitations.   I'm using bookcases to store canned goods which used to be stored in the basement so I don't have to go up and down to get food.    I'm planning (emphasize "planning"!) to downsize to eliminate the amount of "stuff" to clean.   

Later this year I'm going to have the electrical system upgraded to add more outlets so I have some on each side of the rooms, to eliminate connecting cords and potential trip hazards. 

In a rather unpleasant task, I'm pulling up all the carpeting to eliminate vacuuming and dust.     

These are just for starters.

Unfortunately, I don’t see it. Not in the next 20 years. If the elderly can’t contribute to the economy in a capitalistic society they become a liability.
They no longer move the economy forward. Baby boomers born in the early 60s will still need an excess amount of $ spent to prolong their lives... very few willingly die once they’ve outlived their ability to contribute to the economy.

Survival instinct kicking in? Selfishness? Who knows.. Might be that survival of the species, community, family.. just isn’t their priority anymore.

Sad, isn’t it? Passing away/death used to be seen as natural. Good. They live their life well and hope the coming generations have the opportunity to do so also.. They give their lives up in order that others can survive and thrive.

So, after those last boomers die? Hopefully the younger generations will come to the conclusion that this isn’t working and will make some changes.

This thread has diverged into two topics.

Here in Canada Medical Assistance In Dying MAiD is a legal option. I know of two people who have chosen that route. There is no pressure by doctors and the patient cannot have dementia. There is controversy regarding the no dementia clause as many feel that if a person states in writing and has the document, witnessed, when they are ok that if they get dementia they want the option to die it should be allowed.

The option of refusing treatment has always been with us. A friend’s Dad chose to stop dialysis when he got bone cancer. He slipped into a coma and died 3 days later.

I like the Dutch combination of nursery school and nursing home. I hope when I need nursing care that is an option locally.

I am either at the very tail end of the Baby Boom or the beginning of the next group. If I live as long as my parents, I expect nursing homes to have lots of vacancies.

There will be jobs managing all the healthcare the elders need.

There are mild versions of death panels now, I agree. For instance, there is rationing for organ donation recipients.

I read and see so much healthcare/surgeries/treatments, etc. for elders who really have no quality of life. That can't continue.

Some countries are doing it right. Japan for example. There a private nursing home is $25,000/year. Japan has a economy on the same level as ours. It's a matter of values. They value the elderly. In the US, the elderly are disposable.

I believe so, however, in my area I project AL in a decent place will be 11-12K a month and very few will be able to afford this,

No, if it isn't revamped it won't be available.

The government needs to put regulations in place for facilities that can be enforced or they don't get paid. Being a for profit business will always keep the standards low and prices high.

I think that those of us that have dealt with our parents will figure out how to live with quality and not have to spend upwards of 10k per person monthly.

I wonder about this, too. I am in the middle of the baby boomers.

Sometimes I think that there will surely be a death panel, because there will just be too many of us aging baby boomers to maintain the system.

But a Gen X'r who works in our office tells me no to that, because the aging Boomers will present such an opportunity for jobs and money!

I'm at the tail end of the baby boom and I've always joked that by the time I need to go into AL and long term care the system will either be amazingly good or broken irrevocably.