AGS - News - AGS Press Release - Majority of Seniors Would Prefer Living Aboard Cruise Ship to Assisted-Living, According to Study Released at American Geriatrics Society's Annual Meeting

For Immediate Release
May 13, 2005

For Further Information:
Barbara Loecher
(212) 308-1414 x308

Majority of Seniors Would Prefer Living Aboard Cruise Ship to Assisted-Living,
According to Study Released at American Geriatrics Society's Annual Meeting

Orlando, FL- According to a study released today at the American Geriatrics Society Annual Meeting, the majority of seniors would rather spend their latter years aboard a cruise ship than in an assisted-living facility. The study is a follow-up to research examining the feasibly of "cruise ship care" for seniors, which was published in the November, 2004 issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

In that study, lead author and geriatrician Lee Lindquist, MD, an instructor in medicine at Northwestern University, compared the costs and services at assisted-living facilities and on cruise ships. Like assisted-living facilities, ships provide services older patients need, including meals, escorts to meals, and 24-hour access to medical staff, she found. Moreover, the average monthly tab on a cruise ship was comparable to that at an assisted-living facility - about $2,300. Seniors who have good cognitive abilities but who need some assistance with activities of daily living would be ideal candidates for cruise ship care, the study concluded.

In the follow-up study, Dr. Lindquist and colleagues interviewed 56 older adults, ages 55 to 94, living in the community or in assisted-living facilities, and found that 51.8% would rather live at sea on a cruise ship than ashore in assisted living. Younger interviewees were keener on the idea: the main age of those favoring the cruise ship option was 64; of those choosing assisted living, 77.

About AGS
Founded in 1942, the American Geriatrics Society (http://www.americangeriatrics.org) is a nationwide, not-for-profit association of geriatrics health care professionals dedicated to improving the health, independence and quality of life of all older people. The Society supports this mission through activities in clinical practice, professional and public education, research and public policy. With an active membership of over 6,700 health care professionals, the Society has become a pivotal force in shaping attitudes, policies and practices in geriatric medicine. The American Geriatrics Society Annual Meeting, the premier scientific meeting for geriatrics health care providers, educators, and researchers, began May 11 and runs through May 15.