Melissa Rogers, 48, didn't want her mother to live in her home in her final days.
Her mom, Alice Jackson, had dementia. Rogers found a memory care facility in Minnesota, where they live, and applied for a senior voucher to place her mom there. "Then it was a waiting game," Rogers said.
Jackson moved in with Rogers and her family in March 2023, and Rogers quit her job and cared for her mother full time. Months passed, and her mother's health declined. Rogers watched her twin daughters process the reality that their grandmother didn't know who they were anymore.
Jackson died in June of that year. In September, Rogers got a call from the memory care facility that they had a room available for her mother. But it was too late.
Rogers isn't alone. While 74% of adults say they would want to be cared for at home, according to data from Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance, a new survey of more than 1,200 adults in the United States found 7 in 10 family caregivers don't want their aging parents to live with them. The survey, conducted by Age of Majority for Restaura, a culinary company for senior living facilities, also found that only 17% of respondents have had fully detailed discussions with their parents about their care needs and the possibility of moving to senior housing.
