Orphaned Seniors Face Additional Challenges with Aging and Long-Term Care - Planning Improves Quality of Life

It is hard enough to get older when you have a spouse and family. Not that you want to have family members become your future caregivers, but the physical and emotional support makes the aging process easier for everyone.

Family is not the answer to long-term health care, but what if you don't have a family? The lack of close family is a growing problem for those aged 50 and older.

A recent article in the New York Times discusses the growing number of kinless seniors. Researchers are concerned about this population, who may refer to themselves as "older orphans" or "solo agers," because they face many challenges and many disadvantages.

Rachel Margolis, a sociologist at the University of Western Ontario, quoted in the article, says not everyone has a family as they age.

We assume that everyone has at least some family, but that's not the case anymore.

The well-being of "kinless" adults was the focus of a study led by Margolis. This study emphasizes the value of developing and sustaining social networks throughout a lifetime. Social networks naturally dwindle as somebody ages, which makes it harder for people without close relatives to maintain their physical, emotional, and social well-being. 

Everyone benefits from establishing channels for social interaction.

Even though we may think childless older adults may be just as connected to family, via nieces, nephews and cousins, our findings highlight that older adults without close kin are less connected with relatives overall than their counterparts with children.

Number of Orphaned Seniors Increasing

The percentage of senior couples and singles without children is increasing as the baby boomer generation ages. According to a study by the AARP Public Policy Institute, 19% of all women ages 80 to 84 will fall into that category in 2050, up from 16% in 2030.

According to AARP, 8.6 million persons over the age of 65, or more than 20%, are already or are at risk of becoming elder orphans—seniors without a spouse, significant other, or children that can take care of them as they age. 

A much higher proportion have grown children who are unable or unwilling to assist with caregiving for whatever reason. Even with family, family caregivers are usually untrained and unprepared for the job and can only juggle the responsibility for a short period of time.

By the year 2050, the number of older adults without family support will double. It will rise continuously after that. Many of those people will need assistance as they age in place.

Loneliness and Isolation Increase Risk of Health Decline

One of several concerns is cognitive impairment. Being socially alone and isolated are risk factors for physical and cognitive decline. These older adults, without family, also face isolation and loneliness. Minimal contact with others creates several health and quality of life concerns, creating a higher risk of needing long-term health care.

Some of these "kinless" or "orphaned" adults think they have enough financial resources to pay for long-term health care -- which is usually not the case. Even when individuals have substantial savings, they lack the support to arrange and plan for quality care based on their preferences and needs.

Most Long-Term Care Insurance policies include some type of "case management" or advocates that can assist the policyholder access a quality plan of care based on their needs and preferences. The guaranteed tax-free funds will stretch their assets to ensure their choice of quality care in their desired setting.

LTC Insurance Can Help

Experts say that policy design can be more conservative when saving assets for a younger generation is not a goal. Long-Term Care Insurance is custom designed and can be very affordable, especially if purchased when someone is younger and healthier.

Several top-rated insurance companies offer plans, and the premiums and underwriting standards vary between companies. An experienced Long-Term Care Insurance specialist can help you get accurate quotes and provide affordable plan designs to meet someone's needs.

Few people thrive being alone. While older adults with family may want to remain at home, and LTC Insurance will pay for in-home care, often "orphaned" seniors will opt for assisted living for the social interaction that these facilities provide while maintaining a level of privacy and independence. 

Assisted Living and Memory Care Facilities

Keep in mind that if you wait too long to plan, you may have few, if any, options. Like planning for retirement, planning for the costs and burdens of aging and future declining health should happen well before you retire.