National Survey Reveals Moms Choose Daughters Over Sons

HOLLY SPRINGS, NC, April 30, 2011 (Press-News.org) As the old saying goes "A son is a son 'til he takes him a wife. A daughter is a daughter all of her life." A new national survey shows mothers may indeed believe that saying, counting on their daughters as they age. Just in time for Mother's Day, the national poll found 70% of mothers with both a son(s) and a daughter(s) would overwhelming choose to move in with their daughter over their son if they could not take care of themselves. 68% of mothers say that, as they age, daughters will take better care of them than sons will. And 65% of mothers say their daughters, over their sons, would most likely want them to move in.

The newly released national survey polled 335 Americans over age 55. The survey was commissioned by Senior Helpers, one of the leading in-home providers of senior care and the creators of the Stay At Home Score Quiz, (www.stayathomescore.com). It's an eight question quiz that determines if the elderly can live independently in their own home. Adult children take the short quiz to help them determine their parents' independence and self-sufficiency.

While sorry sons may need to step it up in their mother's eyes, it wasn't all bad news for men.

• Nearly 80% of parents say their own children (both sons and daughters) will take care of them as well as they, themselves have taken care of their parents.

• Almost 70% of both mothers and fathers say their children (both sons and daughters) would pay out of their own pockets to care for them as they age.

• An overwhelming 94% of both mothers and fathers say they would rather live in their own home as they age instead of moving in with any of their children or to a nursing home or assisted living facility.

How The Stay At Home Score Quiz Helps
"The survey clearly shows that most aging parents have faith in their children to take care of them as they age, but they almost always prefer to stay in their own homes ," says Dr. John Bowling, senior care and positive aging expert, and creator Senior Helpers' Stay At Home Score Quiz (www.stayathomescore.com). "Aging parents may insist they're well enough to live in their own homes even if they're not. I developed this quiz to give adult children a guideline to determine their parents' needs, whether they are self-sufficient, if they can live at home with help from an in-home caregiver, or if it's time to move them to a place where they can get round-the-clock care."

Other Survey Findings:

Fathers Are Nearly Split On With Whom They Would Move In
The latest survey reveals fathers view moving in with their sons more favorably than mothers do. Nearly 52% of fathers surveyed say they'd rather move in with their daughters while 48% say they'd rather move in with their sons. And, 57% say their daughters would want them to move in while 43% say their sons would want them to move in.

Fathers Mixed On Who Makes the Better Caregiver
Fathers are also kinder to sons than mothers when rating sons' care-giving abilities. 65% of fathers say their daughters will take better care of them while they age and 35% say sons will take better care of them.

HAVE YOUR AUDIENCE/READERS TAKE THE 8 QUESTION QUIZ http://www.stayathomescore.com

Tell the story of children taking care of mom, so the survey comes to life. We can provide:

• Interviews with senior care experts who can talk about the challenges of taking care of elderly parents
• Interviews with families with aging parents

The survey of 335 men and women over age 55 with both a son(s) and a daughter(s) was conducted by a third party on April 25, 2011.

About Stay At Home Score Quiz:
Senior Helpers created the Stay At Home Score Quiz, an eight question quiz adult children take to determine their parents' independency and self sufficiency. The quiz was developed for Senior Helpers by Dr. John Bowling, a professor at Southern Oregon University and an expert on senior care and positive aging. The purpose of the quiz is to determine whether aging parents can live in their own homes independently, can live in their own homes with help of a caregiver or if they need to move to a place with round the clock care.

About Senior Helpers:
Senior Helpers connects professional caregivers with seniors who wish to live at home as opposed to a nursing or assisted living facility. The company has nearly 300 franchises in 42states and one Canadian province offering a wide range of personal and companion care services to assist senior living independently with a strong focus on quality of life for the client and peace of mind for their families. Senior Helpers strives to be the leading companion and personal care provider that offers dependable, consistent and affordable home care.
For more information, please visit http://www.seniorhelpers.com.