Caregiving and older adults in the U.S. are missing out on public resources that could help them or their aging family members. The reason? Many are simply unaware of programs and services geared toward older adults and their caregivers, either by name or general description. The insight comes from a poll done by researchers at the University of Michigan.

“Our poll points to a gap between the resources that exist and what older adults know is available to help them navigate their choices as they age,” Erica Solway, deputy director of the National Poll on Healthy Aging at the University of Michigan, told TheDoctor. More efforts are needed to raise awareness of how older adults and caregivers can access these resources, many of which are supported by state and federal tax dollars.

People may not think about their needs until a crisis forces them to learn more.

More than 4,000 adults age 50 and older were asked if they knew about and used such resources for seniors as Area Agencies on Aging and State Health Insurance Assistance Programs for navigating Medicare. The poll also asked if they knew what options were available for local long-term services and support for the aging.

Less than 10 percent of respondents said they knew about these programs or had used them. Sixty-seven percent were unfamiliar with Area Agencies on Aging, 75 percent did not know about State Health Insurance Assistance Programs, and 88 percent knew very little or nothing about what long-term services and support were available to them. Only seven percent said they used services from their local Area Agency on Aging, four percent said they used the services of a State Health Insurance Assistance Program and three percent said they were knowledgable about long-term services and support available in their area.

Under the Radar
Several factors may contribute to the dearth of knowledge about and use of these resources, said Solway. People may not think about their needs until a crisis forces them to learn more. They may also have relied on the recommendations of family and friends to navigate past experiences. “They may not have had the opportunity to look for what is out there,” Solway said.

Agencies that provide services and support for the aging may not do much marketing. They may lack the budget for it, or limit the size of their programs. “They may not feel they have to be out there educating people about their role in the community,” said Solway.

More efforts are needed to raise awareness of how older adults and caregivers can access these resources, many of which are supported by state and federal tax dollars.

The current poll is an important part of future work about resources for and the challenges related to aging in place. Solway and her team also want to know what older adults think about their options for long-term care.

Previous polls have found most older people want to age in place, in their own home. The findings of this poll suggest that many people are unprepared to do that. The current survey is just one example of how unaware people are about things to help them continue living life as they want to into older age.

“We will fill in the gaps as they relate to what we are hearing from people about their perspective and experiences about aging in place and planning for long-term care,” said Solway.

The National Poll on Healthy Aging reports are published eight to ten times per year by the Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation at the University of Michigan. The article on resources for aging and caregiving, however, was “…published as a poll extra, more in the style of a research article to allow us to dig deeper into the resources that are available,” Solway said, “so that we could educate people about them.”