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A survey commissioned by A Place for Mom found 54% of adults ages 60 to 90 said senior living facilities met practical needs, compared with 34% who said personal needs such as privacy and independence were met. Respondents also identified privacy, control over daily life and trust as concerns, while favoring information from firsthand experience and transparent community practices.
A survey of 1,391 adults ages 60 to 90 found that older adults were more likely to say senior living facilities meet practical needs than personal ones: 54% said practical needs were met, while 34% said privacy and independence were fulfilled. The findings, commissioned by senior-care referral platform A Place for Mom and conducted by Morning Light Strategy, point to a gap operators may need to address as they explain what daily life in their communities offers.
The survey asked about older adults’ views of senior living, including nursing homes. Respondents described benefits such as maintenance-free living and access to help if care needs change, alongside concerns about privacy and control. A Place for Mom said the findings suggest that potential residents want support without losing choice, familiar routines or relationships.
About 37% cited maintenance-free living as an advantage, and 30% said having help available if their needs change was a major plus. More opportunities to socialize and make friends appealed to 26%. But 42% identified less privacy as a major disadvantage, while 36% cited losing control over daily life. Another 35% named leaving home and their neighborhood as a negative, and the same share cited losing independence.
Interest in moving soon appeared limited: 7% said they might need to move into a nursing home within two years. Another 35% said they would consider a move if circumstances changed unexpectedly, while 18% did not know when they might consider care. Ten percent said a move to senior care would be a last resort.
The report also found that 56% said finding a trustworthy community was difficult. Just 22% said they were very confident that caregivers in a community were well trained. Respondents said inspection and licensing records, private conversations with current residents or their families, transparent pricing, staff credentials and tours could help build trust.
Privacy and Choice Shape Care Decisions
The findings matter to older adults and families weighing care because they suggest that meeting clinical or day-to-day needs may not be enough to make a setting feel acceptable. Privacy, independence and familiar routines are also part of how respondents define a good fit. For operators, the results point to a need to explain how residents can retain choice and connection, rather than relying only on descriptions of services and safety.
The survey also highlights a practical challenge: many respondents were not planning an immediate move, and some anticipated considering care only after an unexpected change. Starting conversations before a crisis could give families more time to identify preferences about schedules, meals, visitors, activities and support. The survey describes attitudes, however; it does not establish that every facility does or does not meet those preferences.
Trust is another factor in those decisions. Respondents’ interest in records, transparent pricing and direct conversations suggests that verifiable information and firsthand accounts can influence how families evaluate communities. The results may help guide questions during a search, but they are not a direct rating of individual nursing homes.
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How Older Adults View Senior Care
The survey was conducted in August by Morning Light Strategy and commissioned by A Place for Mom. The report was published Wednesday by Skilled Nursing News. A Place for Mom is a senior-care referral platform; the source report says its platform includes 500,000 family reviews of senior living communities and home care agencies. That figure describes the platform’s review collection, not the survey sample.
Respondents often rely on people and experiences they can assess directly. About 54% said knowing someone who lived in a facility influenced their views, while 36% said family and friends influenced decisions and 29% cited visiting a facility. Roughly 45% had personally visited a nursing home, and 65% had an in-depth conversation about another person’s experience. Among those who had such conversations, 81% said the experience they heard about met or exceeded their expectations.
The report also considered technology in post-acute care. Thirty-eight percent were interested in learning more about embedded fall-prevention, detection and response technology that does not use a camera. Thirty-four percent expressed similar interest in a smartphone-powered personalized healthy-aging program. Twenty-nine percent said an AI companion might help, while 46% were slightly interested or not interested at all in that technology.
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What the Survey Cannot Establish
The findings report respondents’ views and stated preferences; they do not measure conditions at specific facilities or independently verify the quality of care. The source material does not provide the survey’s full questionnaire, response rate, sampling method or detailed breakdowns by age and care setting. It is also not clear from the report how respondents interpreted terms such as “practical needs” and “personal needs.”
The results should not be read as a direct comparison of all nursing homes or as proof that facilities generally fail to protect privacy or independence. The report provides percentages but does not describe a comparison with an earlier survey, so no trend over time is established. Respondents’ interest in technology likewise does not show whether those tools are available, effective or in use at particular communities.
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Questions Families Can Ask
The report encourages families to discuss how a person wants to live, not only which care setting may be appropriate. During community visits, that can mean asking how residents choose daily routines, protect privacy, receive visitors, maintain relationships and adjust support as needs change. Families can also ask to review inspection and licensing information, understand pricing and speak privately with current residents or their relatives.
No further study or policy action is specified in the source material. The next development is whether senior living operators respond to these preferences in their explanations and practices. For now, the survey offers a snapshot of what respondents value and what they find difficult to trust; it does not report changes by operators following publication.
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Key Questions
What did the survey find about practical needs and personal needs?
Fifty-four percent of respondents said facilities met practical needs, while 34% said personal needs such as privacy and independence were fulfilled.
Who took part in the survey?
The survey included 1,391 adults ages 60 to 90. Morning Light Strategy conducted it in August on behalf of A Place for Mom.
What concerns did respondents have about nursing homes?
Less privacy was cited as a major disadvantage by 42%. Respondents also raised concerns about giving up control over daily life, losing independence and leaving their homes and neighborhoods.
What information could help families assess a community?
The report identifies inspection and licensing records, transparent pricing, staff credentials, community tours and private conversations with current residents or their families as factors that may help build trust.
Does the survey show that nursing homes are failing residents?
No. It reports older adults’ perceptions and preferences, not an independent assessment of individual facilities or care outcomes. The results do not establish how every nursing home performs.
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