Pew research: Fewer female seniors living alone for first time in nearly a century

The number of seniors who live alone at home has risen steadily for almost 100 years, but the number of women age 65-84 living alone has dropped significantly between 1990 and 2014, according to new data from the Pew Research Center.

Life expectancies seem to have increased to the point where women can continue to live with a spouse past the age of 84, the report notes. Women without spouses are much more likely to move in with a family member than to live on their own, the census data show.

The report also included data from a survey of nearly 1,700 seniors on where they would choose to live when they are no longer able to take care of themselves. Most seniors surveyed (61 percent) would still prefer to age in their own homes if they could receive care at home. Living in an assisted living community was the distant second choice (17 percent), while living in a nursing home was the least popular choice (4 percent).

Pamela Tabar

Pamela Tabar was editor-in-chief of I Advance Senior Care from 2013-2018. She has worked as a writer and editor for healthcare business media since 1998, including as News Editor of Healthcare Informatics. She has a master’s degree in journalism from Kent State University and a master’s degree in English from the University of York, England.