Caregiver and senior problem-solving opportunities revealed in new VTech communication survey
Caregivers Cite Desire to Help More and Address Communication Needs of Seniors Wanting to Age in Place
BEAVERTON, Ore., January 8, 2013 – More than 60 percent of caregivers spend at least nine hours with a senior a week, but both groups see ways to improve the time apart, according to a survey1 exploring communications challenges and perceptions in senior-caregiver relationships. The survey was conducted by VTech® Communications, a wholly owned subsidiary of VTech Holdings Ltd. (HKSE: 303) and fielded by independent market research firm Toluna.
The VTech Caregiver/Senior Communication Survey found that caregivers worried most about the time seniors were alone, while seniors missed an active social life. Survey results were revealed in advance of Silvers Summit, a conference and exhibition on technology for seniors at the annual International CES in Las Vegas.
The survey examined the issues caregivers and seniors face in communicating as seniors strive to age independently. More than a third of caregivers said their greatest concern is that they were not doing enough for the seniors in their lives. From the other perspective, 41 percent of seniors said their top challenge was not being as active or social as they would like. These top concerns overshadowed both groups' worries about financial issues or other realities of aging and caregiving.