Statewide Study published february 2026
The 2026 Oregon Senior Housing Survey, conducted by Embrace Age Prepared, reveals a significant disconnect between theoretical knowledge and practical decision-making regarding elder care. While a vast majority of the 108 respondents could accurately define terms like assisted living, they expressed deep hesitation when tasked with choosing specific facilities for their loved ones. Although financial cost is frequently cited as a primary concern, the data suggests that uncertainty regarding care levels and quality evaluation are the true drivers of family hesitation. This lack of confidence often leads families to restrict their searches to a narrow 30-mile radius, potentially overlooking superior care options further away. Ultimately, the report emphasizes that increasing terminology awareness is insufficient, as families require better decision-support tools and clearer metrics to navigate the complexities of an aging population.
Nearly 9 out of 10 Oregon adults can correctly define assisted living. Almost all know nursing homes provide the highest level of care. Yet when asked how they would choose between real facilities for a real parent, hesitation surfaced immediately.
Key Findings
- 80% cite cost as primary barrier — but only 23% mention it unprompted
- 71% would not search beyond 30 miles
- Confusion about care levels is the most common misunderstanding (~49%)
- Evaluation uncertainty predicts narrow search behavior
While 80% of respondents selected cost as the primary barrier when forced to choose, only 23% mentioned cost when describing misunderstandings in their own words. Instead, nearly half described confusion about the differences between care levels. About one-third said it is difficult to judge quality.
Perhaps most revealingly, 71% of respondents said they would not search beyond 30 miles for senior care, even if more or better options existed farther away. Statistical analysis showed the strongest predictor of a narrow search was not age, geography, or experience — it was uncertainty about how to evaluate facilities.
Recognition is high. Confidence is not.
This report presents the full findings from the Oregon Senior Housing Survey and explores why familiarity with senior care terms does not eliminate hesitation — and what factors actually shape family housing decisions.
Why Embrace Age Prepared Conducted This Study
Oregon’s population is aging rapidly. By 2030, nearly one in four Oregonians will be over age 65, according to the Portland State University Population Research Center. The number of adults over 85 — those most likely to need assisted living or nursing care — is projected to grow significantly over the next decade.
Embrace Age Prepared works directly with Oregon families navigating these decisions every day. Through hundreds of conversations, a pattern became clear: families understood the vocabulary of senior care, but felt stuck when it came time to act. They could define assisted living, but could not determine whether their parent needed it now. They recognized that nursing homes provide more intensive care, but struggled to judge which facility would deliver on that promise.
Embrace Age Prepared designed, conducted, and analyzed this survey to quantify what its advisors observe in practice — and to provide Oregon families, providers, and policymakers with actionable data about where decision-making breaks down.
Survey Methodology
The Oregon Senior Housing Survey was conducted online in February 2026 by Embrace Age Prepared. Respondents were 108 Oregon residents recruited through a combination of social media outreach, community partnerships, and Embrace Age Prepared’s network.
The survey included multiple-choice knowledge questions, scenario-based reasoning items, a forced-choice barrier ranking, and open-ended response questions. Open-ended responses were coded by theme using content analysis.
With a sample of 108 respondents, the margin of error is approximately ±9.4% at the 95% confidence level for overall proportions. Findings should be interpreted as directional indicators from a convenience sample, not as representative of all Oregon adults.
Who Participated
Most respondents were between the ages of 40 and 59 — the age group most likely to help parents or relatives navigate housing and care decisions. More than half (58%) reported recent personal or family experience with senior housing.
Participants were geographically diverse across Oregon:
| Residence Type | Percentage |
| Urban | 37% |
| Suburban | 34% |
| Small town | 18% |
| Rural | 11% |
Understanding the Terms Is Not the Same as Making the Decision
Respondents answered multiple-choice and scenario-based questions about senior care categories. The results were striking in their consistency:
| Knowledge Item | % Correct |
| Defined assisted living correctly | 89% |
| Knew nursing homes provide highest care level | 98% |
| Identified assisted living scenario correctly | 93% |
| Identified nursing home scenario correctly | 98% |
More than three-quarters of respondents answered every question correctly. These results suggest that many Oregonians are not confused about basic terminology.
However, knowing what assisted living means in a general sense is different from knowing whether a specific parent now qualifies for it. Recognition answers the question “What is this?” Decision-making asks, “Is this the right step now?”
This distinction reflects a broader pattern in health research: understanding information and using it are separate cognitive skills. National frameworks such as Healthy People 2030 define health literacy as the ability not only to understand information but to apply it in real decisions.
Families narrow their search radius when evaluation feels unclear.
Cost Is Real — But It Is Not the Whole Story
When asked to select a single primary barrier to senior housing, 80% of respondents chose cost or affordability. That result aligns with national data showing that assisted living and nursing care are expensive — the Genworth 2024 Cost of Care Survey places Oregon’s median assisted living cost among the highest in the nation.
However, when respondents were invited to explain misunderstandings in their own words, cost appeared far less frequently. Embrace Age Prepared analyzed 106 open-ended responses to the question: “What do people most misunderstand about independent living, assisted living, and nursing homes?”
Themes from Open-Ended Responses
| Theme Identified | Approx. Share |
| Confusion between care levels | ~49% |
| Assisted living mistaken for nursing home care | ~44% |
| Difficulty judging quality | ~31% |
| Unclear about medical services included | ~26% |
| Unsure when it is time to move | ~25% |
| Cost mentioned without prompting | ~23% |
While 80% selected cost when required to pick one barrier, fewer than one-quarter mentioned cost spontaneously. Nearly half instead described confusion about the differences between care types — including confusion between options like memory care and adult foster homes.
These responses suggest families face both financial strain and deep uncertainty about evaluation and timing.
How Far Families Are Willing to Look
| Distance Willingness | Percentage |
| Same town only | 38% |
| Within 30 miles | 36% |
| Within 60 miles | 17% |
| Anywhere in Oregon | 6% |
| Out of state | 2% |
Seventy-one percent would not look beyond 30 miles. Distance reflects flexibility. Expanding a search suggests confidence. Limiting a search can signal either comfort with nearby options — or uncertainty about how to evaluate what else is available.
What Predicts Narrow Search Behavior
A regression analysis found which factors predicted willingness to search farther. Variables included age, residence type, prior experience with senior housing, barrier selection, and whether respondents expressed difficulty evaluating quality.
One factor stood out: respondents who described uncertainty about judging or comparing facilities were significantly less likely to expand their search radius.
Age, geography, and prior experience did not show strong independent effects in this sample.
In plain terms: when evaluation feels unclear, families tend to stay close to home. This finding aligns with longstanding research showing that individuals reduce their options when outcomes feel uncertain — a phenomenon documented in decision science since Ellsberg (1961).
Urban and Rural Context
Rural families may expect longer travel because fewer facilities are available. Urban families may face many options, which can create comparison overload. In both cases, uncertainty interacts with geography. When families are unsure how to evaluate care, they limit how far they look — regardless of whether they live in Portland or Pendleton.
The Core Divide: Knowing vs. Deciding
The survey highlights a fundamental difference that runs through every finding:
| KNOWING | DECIDING |
| Understanding definitions | Knowing when to act |
| Recognizing categories | Comparing real facilities |
| Passing knowledge questions | Feeling confident choosing |
Most respondents demonstrated knowledge. Many expressed hesitation about applying that knowledge in real decisions. Cost matters — but clarity about timing, services, and quality also shapes behavior in powerful ways.
What This Means for Oregon Families
For families currently navigating senior care decisions, this research suggests several practical takeaways:
- Feeling uncertain does not mean you are uninformed. Even highly knowledgeable families hesitate at the decision point. The gap between understanding terms and knowing what to do is normal.
- Consider expanding your search radius. Most families limit their search to 30 miles. The best fit may be farther than expected. A wider search often reveals options families did not know existed.
- Ask about services in specific terms. The blurred line between assisted living and nursing home care is the most commonly reported source of confusion. Request detailed service lists, not just category labels.
- Seek guidance from a senior care advisor. Independent advisors like Embrace Age Prepared can help translate general knowledge into a specific plan that matches your family’s needs, timeline, and budget — at no cost to the family.
What This Means for Providers and Policymakers
For senior housing providers: families are not arriving uninformed. They are arriving uncertain. The distinction matters. Marketing that simply defines categories may miss the mark. Communication that helps families evaluate and compare — with transparent service descriptions, clear admission criteria, and honest quality indicators — is more likely to earn trust and drive decisions.
For policymakers: Oregon’s aging population will place increasing pressure on senior housing systems. This survey suggests that information campaigns alone will not close the gap. Families need decision support infrastructure — including advisors, comparison tools, and standardized quality metrics — not just more definitions.
Oregon families understand the terms. They don’t understand the timing.
Sources
Embrace Age Prepared. Oregon Senior Housing Survey. February 2026. Statewide online survey, n = 108.
Healthy People 2030. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Health Literacy Framework[1].
Parker, R. M., et al. (2017). Associations Between Health Literacy and Health Behaviors. Journal of School Health.[2]
Ellsberg, D. (1961). Risk, Ambiguity, and the Savage Axioms. Quarterly Journal of Economics.[3]
Anderson, C. J. (2003). The Psychology of Doing Nothing: Forms of Decision Avoidance. Psychological Bulletin.[4]
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). (2017). Housing Challenges of Rural Seniors.[5]
Genworth Financial. (2024). Cost of Care Survey[6].
To cite this study: Embrace Age Prepared. “Oregon Senior Housing Survey 2026: 80% Cite Cost — But Confusion Drives Decisions.” February 2026. n = 108. embraceageprepared.com
About Embrace Age Prepared
Embrace Age Prepared provides free, personalized guidance for senior care options in Oregon. Our advisors help families navigate the full spectrum of senior housing — from independent living to memory care to skilled nursing — at no cost to the family. We designed this survey to give Oregon families, providers, and policymakers the data they need to make senior care decisions with greater clarity and confidence.
Footnotes
- Healthy People 2030. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Health Literacy Framework (odphp.health.gov) Back to reference 1
- Parker, R. M., et al. (2017). Associations Between Health Literacy and Health Behaviors. Journal of School Health. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) Back to reference 2
- Ellsberg, D. (1961). Risk, Ambiguity, and the Savage Axioms. Quarterly Journal of Economics. (www.jstor.org) Back to reference 3
- Anderson, C. J. (2003). The Psychology of Doing Nothing: Forms of Decision Avoidance. Psychological Bulletin. (psycnet.apa.org) Back to reference 4
- U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). (2017). Housing Challenges of Rural Seniors. (www.huduser.gov) Back to reference 5
- Genworth Financial. (2024). Cost of Care Survey (investor.genworth.com) Back to reference 6