What's your plan for old age?

Yesterday, I heard gerontologist Ken Dychtwald talk about relying on family to take care of you when you're old. He was reporting on a survey for long-term care insurer Genworth, confirming what I would have guessed -- most people would rather die than be dependent on a family member to wipe their butt in their old age.

The survey didn't say exactly that -- but close. It said 55% of consumers think being a burden on their family would be their greatest concern if they were no longer able to care for themselves. Some 24% would fear ending up in a nursing home, while 12% would worry about being destitute. Only 10% would worry about dying.

The survey also determined that 96% of people don't talk in advance about the possibility that they might get old and have to depend on their children, although Dychtwald said that 67% of people need some kind of long-term care at some point in their lives and 80% of those end up depending on family for it.