|
E-mail this page to a friend!
Seniors Agree Spouse Will Care for Them, But Women
Not Sure Men Can
Nov. 17, 2004 – Who is going to take care of us in
old age? A new study says men are just as likely as women to expect to
be the caregiver for their spouse or partner if their spouse becomes
disabled. Women are more likely than men to view their spouse or partner
as unprepared to take care of finances and to manage health issues
should their spouse/partner predecease them. Women respond that while
they are better prepared to do the cooking, one-third fear they will not
be able to care for the house and yard. Women are more likely than men to see
their children as the future caregivers.
Most men and women feel they are emotionally
prepared to live alone if they outlive their spouse. When asked how
prepared they believe their spouse or partner is to live alone, however,
more men felt that their wife or partner could cope; fewer women felt
that their husbands would be prepared.
"This data is revealing in that it shatters some
gender myths and stereotypes while it reinforces others," said Sandra
Timmermann, Ed.D., director of the MetLife Mature Market Institute. "The
study reports that half of women feel their spouse is not fully prepared
to live alone, emotionally. But, when questioned, most men believe they
are emotionally prepared. It also seems that women are more confident
about their own preparation to handle finances than they are about their
husbands' abilities in that regard. The study shows that men and women
do have slightly differing views on how they see their future long-term
care needs."
A MetLife Mature Market Institute poll, Gender
Differences: Do Men and Women View Long-Term Care Differently?, was
conducted in coordination with AARP Health Care Options.
Examples of important findings in the study are:
-- Nine out of ten married or partnered men say it
is very or somewhat likely that their spouse/partner would become their
primary caregiver if they became disabled and needed daily assistance
(88%), compared to 72% of women who say this is the case.
-- A larger share of women than men say it is very
likely that they will become their spouse's/partner's primary caregiver
(77% vs. 61%).
-- Among those with children or stepchildren, four
in ten men believe it is likely that the children will become their
primary caregiver (41%), while more than half of women think this is
likely (55%).
-- Nearly all older Americans who are married or
living with a partner believe they are at least somewhat prepared to
live alone (men 86%, women 90%). However, a larger share of men than
women believe their spouse/partner is at least somewhat prepared (83%
vs. 67%).
-- Emotional readiness for being alone is the
biggest issue for men with 35% reporting they are not fully prepared,
similar to 30% of women who feel this way. Men are more likely than
women to say they are unprepared to handle cooking (men 14% vs. women
2%). Women are more apt to say that upkeep of the home and yard is an
issue (women 34% vs. men 18%).
-- Women are more likely than men to view their
spouse as unprepared to take care of finances and bills (36% vs. 26%) or
to manage his/her health care (25% vs. 9%).
Long-Term Care Financing - A Common Misconception
When it comes to long-term care insurance, 16% of
men and 14% of women age 50 and older say they own it. More men than
women are very confident they would be able to pay for long-term care
services. Men are more likely to say they could pay for at least one
year of nursing home care - at a cost of $66,000 per year - using their
current savings, investments, assets or long-term care insurance. There
is some misconception about how individuals believe they can pay for
long-term care. Three in ten men and women think they can pay the
largest share of their long-term care costs with sources that are not
designed to cover these expenses like Medicare, health insurance and
disability insurance.
"The confusion about payment for long-term care
costs continues to be an issue," said Mathew Greenwald of Mathew
Greenwald & Associates, Inc., which conducted the poll. "Those over 50
are often mistaken about whether Medicare or insurance, other than
long-term care insurance, will pay for home care, assisted living or
nursing home care. Clearly, more public education is needed on this
issue."
"As this research validates, many individuals are
unfamiliar with financing options and are confused by what is available
for the 50+ population for long-term care services," stated Julie
Alexis, director of marketing and business development, Health Products
and Services, AARP Health Care Options. "AARP understands and is
committed to providing the education and resources around caregiving and
long-term care services that our members come to value."
The August 2004 survey was conducted online by
Mathew Greenwald & Associates, Inc. and sent to a demographically
balanced sample of 1,000 Internet study panelists ages 50 and older. If
the sample is representative of the 50 and older U.S. population, the
sample size would lead to a margin of error of +/-3%. The group was half
male and half female. 78% of men and 56% of women were married or living
with a partner. 17% of men and 40% of women were divorced, widowed or
separated and 6% of men and 4% of women were single. 28% of men and 39%
of women were ages 50 to 58. 19% of men and 25% of women were 59 to 64.
52% of men and 36% of women were 65 or older.
AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership
organization dedicated to making life better for people 50 and over. It
provides information and resources; engages in legislative, regulatory
and legal advocacy; assists members in serving their communities; and
offers a wide range of unique benefits, special products, and services
for its members. These include AARP The Magazine, published bimonthly;
AARP Bulletin, its monthly newspaper; AARP Segunda Juventud, its
quarterly newspaper in Spanish; NRTA Live and Learn, its quarterly
newsletter for 50+ educators; and its Web site,
www.aarp.org. It has staffed offices in all 50 states, the District
of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
AARP Services, Inc. (ASI) founded in 1999, is a
wholly owned subsidiary of AARP. ASI manages the wide range of products
and services, including AARP Health Care Options, that are offered as
benefits to AARP's 35 million members. The offers span health and
financial products, travel and leisure products, and life event
services. Specific products include Medicare supplemental insurance;
automobile and homeowners insurance; member discounts on rental cars,
cruises, vacation packages and lodging; special offers on technology and
gifts; life insurance; a credit card; pharmacy services; alternative
health services; legal services; and long-term care insurance. ASI's
responsibilities include developing new products, managing products and
services, marketing, creating and maintaining partnership and
sponsorship relationships, and developing and managing AARP's
award-winning Web site AARP.org.
The MetLife Mature Market Institute is the focal
point and resource center of Metropolitan Life Insurance Company
(MetLife) for issues concerning aging, retirement, long-term care and
the mature market. The Institute, staffed by gerontologists, provides
training and education, consultation and information to support MetLife,
its corporate customers and business partners. For more information on
the MetLife Mature Market Institute, and copies of studies and
brochures, please visit the Web site at
www.maturemarketinstitute.com.
MetLife, a subsidiary of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE: MET),
is a leading provider of insurance and other financial services to
individual and institutional customers. The MetLife companies serve
individuals in approximately 13 million households in the U.S. and
provide benefits to 37 million employees and family members through
their plan sponsors. Outside the U.S., the MetLife companies serve
approximately 8 million customers through direct insurance operations in
Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Mexico,
South Korea, Taiwan and Uruguay. For more information about MetLife,
visit the company's Web site at
www.metlife.com.
Click to More Senior News on the
Front Page
Copyright: SeniorJournal.com |
