Forty-one percent of participants in a new survey said they don’t trust assisted living communities and nursing homes to keep older adults safe amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Overall, members of the oldest generations surveyed were even less trustful of senior living and care operators than younger generations; 49.5% of baby boomers said they do not trust senior living and care providers to keep residents safe, whereas 43.9% of the Silent Generation report the same distrust. That compares with 42.3% of Generation X reporting distrust, 31.8% of Millennials and 38.2% of Generation Z. 

That said, 43.1% of baby boomers responded that they trust facilities “somewhat,” as did 51.4% of Silent Generation respondents.

“I believe that part of this mistrust could originate from the extensive media coverage of COVID-19 fatalities in nursing homes, since the senior residents are especially vulnerable to the illness,” Andrew Hurst, research analyst for ValuePenguin, told McKnight’s Senior Living. “But I believe it goes further than that. The quarantine and social distancing has added to families’ anxiety over the safety and mental well being of the seniors who live in these facilities since they aren’t able to visit as often as they like.”

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