Sandy prompts some elderly to seek assisted living

The howling winds and rising waters of Superstorm Sandy may have sparked at least one unintended flood: A race by seniors to find safe housing in assisted-living facilities.

While state officials say it's too soon to say if actual spikes have occurred, some care facility operators say they've seen a surge of relocations by older residents since the storm in late October.

The operators say seniors and their children decide that the parents are no longer capable of dealing with the stresses aggravated by a natural disaster.

Dr. Gisele Wolf-Klein, director of geriatric education at North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System, says the decision can benefit older parents moving out and relieve their children of the stress of caring for them.