Joe Imel/Daily News Seniors Jan Shehan (from left), Norris Shehan, Mame Stone, John Stone, Ellen Blessing, Fred Blessing, all residents of Village Manor talk about their concerns and their concerns for their children as they grow older.

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The so-called “Silver Tsunami” of aging Baby Boomers could be washing up in nursing homes and other assisted living facilities in the community.

In a survey of 218 adults age 43 and older in the Barren River Area Development District, conducted last year by the University of Kentucky Survey Research Center, 79 percent said they expected to continue living in their personal residence.

Increased life expectancy is making that prospect a reality for most seniors, even those with health problems that prevent them from doing basic tasks they have been used to doing around the house.

This scenario is alternately a boon and challenge for the home caregiver industry.

Brad Cannon, franchise owner of Home Instead Senior Care in Bowling Green, is aware of the preference that many older residents have to stay in their homes as long as possible.

“A lot of seniors don’t have family that live close to them, and a lot of their children have their own obligations and responsibilities to their families and can’t provide assistance,” Cannon said.

Home Instead serves seniors in a seven-county area, with caregivers visiting seniors for as many hours during the week as necessary to help with housework, keep seniors on their medication schedule or simply offer companionship.

Currently, about 200 caregivers are employed by the local Home Instead office, Cannon said, with recruitment coming through advertisements and referrals from the AARP.

With more aging boomers joining the local population, however, the face of the caregiver is changing.

“What’s happening is we’re seeing older workers taking care of seniors,” Cannon said. “I’ve had caregivers in their 80s come work for us, not necessarily for the money but to fulfill a purpose in their lives.”

While nursing homes and other assisted living arrangements are not the first options for the first wave of aging Baby Boomers, the growing population makes them a necessity.

Steve McClain, director of communications and membership development for the Kentucky Association of Health Care Facilities, said it has become common for newer nursing homes to forego a more sterile, institutionalized atmosphere in favor of something that looks and feels more like home.

“We understand that people want to stay in their homes as long as possible and that this generation has different needs and demands,” McClain said.

In addition to a more agreeable appearance, nursing homes are emphasizing more individualized care, with residents allowed more options for physical rehabilitation and social networking.

McClain pointed to the Nintendo Wii - a wireless video game system in which players can mimic the motions of the video game characters they control.

“It’s incredible watching folks who may not have known what a video game looked like 20 years ago playing these things,” McClain said. “It helps to keep the mind sharp and is good for physical rehab.”

Melanie Eaton, executive director of Village Manor retirement community on Westen Street, said the planning committee that helps operate the facility often meets to consider different models of care to implement in the likelihood that more aging Boomers will be looking to live there.

Eaton said planning requires a certain flexibility, with many of the residents likely to exhibit varying degrees of self-sufficiency.

“We see a need to expand our assisted living services,” Eaton said, identifying three levels of personal care administered to residents depending on their health.

Bill King, owner of American Quality Healthcare, an Owensboro medical equipment supplier with clients in Bowling Green, said he anticipates increased sales in walkers and motorized wheelchairs to an active population dealing with degenerative hips and other joints.

“A whole lot of (boomers) are not going to accept the fact that they’re getting older and needing this equipment until they get in really bad condition,” King said.

Doris Thomas, vice president of The Medical Center, said the hospital’s wellness center is encouraging older patients to look into preventative care as a way of detecting medical problems early and reducing costs later.

Age-related issues, including orthopedic and cardiac health conditions, are discussed regularly in wellness programs, Thomas said.