Naomi Cahn Homeward Bound Findings

Key Findings

• Family structure shapes the quality of the elder care provided by, and grieving experience of, grown children. 
• Formal planning helps facilitate a positive experience for offspring when their aging parents need care or die. 
• Nudges related to end-of-life planning are needed when people obtain marriage licenses or divorce decrees.
• Encourage hospice and palliative care usage. Most advanced planning in the research happened once a family was already enrolled in hospice. 
• Accept the new normal in families and use formal tools to help compensate for their differing needs.