New poll shows American attitudes toward aging and long-term care

Reprinted from The SCAN Foundation On April 24, the Associated Press - NORC Center for Public Affairs Research released the findings of a national poll on long-term care, funded by The SCAN Foundation. This poll surveyed Americans 40 and older on their attitudes, perceptions, and experiences around aging and long-term care issues.      Key findings of the survey include:  * Widespread misperceptions of the cost of long-term care, with most Americans underestimating the cost of nursing home care and overestimating what Medicare will cover.    * Nearly one-third of those polled would rather not think about getting older at all, and when prompted, a majority worry about losing their independence.    * Only 35% of Americans are setting aside funds to help pay for future long-term care needs.  * Family matters: 68 percent of Americans age 40 or older believe they can rely on their family in time of need. * Though Americans are concerned about issues of aging, nearly 60 percent have not taken the step of talking about long-term care preferences with their families.  * A majority of Americans across the political spectrum support public policy solutions for financing long-term care, with more than 75 percent in favor of tax incentives to encourage saving for long-term care expenses, and 51 percent in favor of a government administered plan.