Retirement Homes - Right or Wrong?

Majority of people would feel guilty about putting their parents to a senior center. This was discovered by Meetville (dating app to find the right person) over a survey, conducted between 11/27/14 and 1/6/15. The poll posed the question: “Would you ever consider putting your parents in a retirement home?”

The total number of participants was 32,357. From the USA - 53%, from Canada 5%, from Britain - 15%, Australia – 7% and other countries – 20%.

Each family is unique, there is no one concrete answer for this issue. Every adult child faces the same dilemma. Carol Bradley Bursack, a columnist and eldercare consultant, says: “Our parents cared for us and now, as they age, it's natural that we want to care for them. At first, we figure we'll stop over at their home and do what they need us to do. That can work for while, when all that's needed is some help with errands, the lawn or fixing a meal now and then. It's kind of a pleasant way to help out and show our love for our parents. However as care needs increase, we are faced with more decisions. Many of us promised in good faith, back when our parents were healthy, that we wouldn't ever put them in a nursing home. That would be abandoning them. We aim to care for them ourselves until they die.”

Alex Cusper, Meetville service analyst, states: “This is one of the hardest and painful decisions individuals will ever have to make and unfortunately majority of people sooner or later find themselves in such a complicated situation. Although it may seem heartless for some people, there are cases when it’s better to let more skilled people to take care of one’s parents.”

Meetville, a leading mobile dating service, regularly conducts research among its users. Millions of people from the U.S., Canada, Britain and Australia answer hundreds of questions every month. You can find the results of the poll here. If you are interested in research on a particular topic, please contact us. Any reprint of the material should be followed by clickable links to the survey.