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Aging Myths Busted! New research dispels common misperceptions about seniors.

Home Instead Senior Care/Marist Poll research dispels common misperceptions about seniors

New Research Debunks Top Five Myths About Aging

OMAHA, Neb. – April 11, 2013 – Many Americans fear the social impacts of aging. From wrinkles to serious health and financial concerns, aging undoubtedly creates anxiety for people of all ages. However, according to new research* released by Home Instead Senior Care®, the leading global provider of home care services for seniors, there are significant gaps between the perceptions and realities of mature age.

The new research reveals that the majority of seniors do not experience many of the common concerns associated with aging. Younger generations can rest easy as the following myths about old age are debunked:

1. Happiness is for the young. Not true. Only 29 percent of Millennials (age 18-30) describe themselves as very happy, compared to 44 percent of the Greatest Generation (age 66+).
2. Your physical appearance will terrify you most. A decline in physical appearance as one ages is a secondary concern to memory loss. More than 80 percent (82 percent) of American adults cite memory loss as a top fear, compared to 11 percent who cite beauty concerns.
3. Your bank account will run dry. Although more than half (52 percent) of Americans believe money is a very serious problem for older generations, only 14 percent of people over 65 lack financial resources to support themselves.
4. Technology will outpace you. The future model of your iPhone won’t escape the older version of you. Nearly four in ten (38 percent) of Americans perceive people over 65 can’t keep up with new technology as they age. Yet, only 15 percent of seniors cite this as a serious problem.
5. Aging undoubtedly brings loneliness. Almost 40 percent (37 percent) perceive loneliness as a major issue for older Americans. However, only 5 percent of seniors say it’s a very serious problem.

"Home Instead is committed to changing the face of aging. It is imperative for earlier generations – Millenials, Generation X and Baby Boomers – to distinguish myth from reality," said Roger Baumgart, CEO of Home Instead, Inc. "There needs to be a more realistic perception about aging as the older population rises from 800 million to 2 billion people over the next 30 years."

Despite these misperceptions, most U.S. adults agree that older Americans lack respect from younger generations. Almost 80 percent say seniors don’t receive enough of it. Now those are words we can grow (older) on.

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ABOUT HOME INSTEAD SENIOR CARE

Founded in 1994 in Omaha by Lori and Paul Hogan, the Home Instead Senior Care network is the world's largest provider of non-medical in-home care services for seniors, with more than 950 independently owned and operated franchises providing in excess of 45 million hours of care throughout the United States, Canada, Japan, Portugal, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Taiwan, Switzerland, Germany, South Korea, Finland, Austria, Italy, Puerto Rico and the Netherlands. Local Home Instead Senior Care franchise offices employ more than 65,000 CAREGiversSM worldwide who provide basic support services – assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs), personal care, medication reminders, meal preparation, light housekeeping, errands, incidental transportation and shopping – which enable seniors to live safely and comfortably in their own homes for as long as possible. In addition, Home Instead CAREGivers are trained in the network’s groundbreaking Alzheimer’s Disease or Other Dementias CARE: Changing Aging Through Research and EducationSM Program to work with seniors who suffer from these conditions. This world class curriculum also is available free to family caregivers online or through local Home Instead Senior Care offices. At Home Instead Senior Care, it’s relationship before task, while continuing to provide superior quality service that enhances the lives of seniors everywhere.

ABOUT MARIST INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC OPINION

*The survey was undertaken by Home Instead Senior Care and conducted by the Marist Institute for Public Opinion at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York. 1,247 adults 18 years of age and older residing in the continental United States were interviewed by telephone from September 26, 2012, through September 29, 2012. Telephone numbers were selected based upon a list of telephone exchanges from throughout the nation. The exchanges were selected to ensure that each region was represented in proportion to its population. To increase coverage, the landline sample was supplemented by respondents reached through random dialing of cell phone numbers. The two samples were then combined. Results are statistically significant within ±2.8 percentage points. The error margin increases for cross-tabulations.

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