Aged care shapes as a bust for Boomers

AGEING Baby Boomers are expected to refuse to enter suburban aged-care homes like their elderly parents did, instead choosing to live in upscale facilities with gourmet food and exercise classes, but that is if they move into them at all.

Almost half of all Baby Boomers plan on never moving into formal aged care, irrespective of how old they live, according to RSL Lifecare research.

The aged-care provider’s survey of more than 1000 Baby Boomers found just 1 per cent were happy to enter a communal retirement home, while 75 per cent want nurses to visit them in their own home when they need them.

If they have to move into a facility, 96 per cent said they want to be able to access exercise facilities. Overseas and interstate travel is their top priority, followed by “foodie experiences”, including culinary tours, vineyard tours and restaurant visits, the report says.

Griffith University’s socio technical studies professor David Tuffley said Baby Boomers had high expectations in retirement because they were accustomed to regularly dining at restaurants and lived relatively opulent lifestyles, compared with their great depression-era parents.

“That is how people of that generation like to socialise, going over to one another’s homes for dinner, long leisurely degustation dinners,” he said. “I think it is part of the good life … the good life is having fine food and fine wine.”

Mccrindle social researcher Geoff Brailey said across Australia, Baby Boomer households had a net household wealth of $1.461m – they could afford to splash cash and would want to live close to entertainment.

“They have done very well,” Mr Brailey said.