The U.S. is not up to providing adequate and accessible housing for its ever-growing senior population, according to a new report issued by the Harvard University Joint Center for Housing Studies.
As the nation’s population ages, with the number of people over 65 significantly increasing from 43 million a decade ago to around 58 million today, the housing needs for such residents has become a paramount issue in “urban, suburban, and rural communities,” notes the Housing America’s Older Adults.
Between now and the end of the decade, the first members of the Baby Boom generation, defined as those born between 1946 and 1964, will hit the age of 80, “accelerating the growth among those in the oldest age groups.”
Contrary to popular impressions that the Baby Boom generation is content, wealthy, and enjoying an Ozzie and Harriet existence, nearly 11.2 million members of that generation are now defined as living a cost-burdened life, meaning that they spend more than 30% of their income on housing.
At the same time, notes the report: “Homelessness is rising among older individuals.”
“Though government programs provide crucial housing assistance to millions of older adults, demand dramatically outstrips supply, with years-long waitlists in some areas,” says the Harvard study in describing current conditions.
Add in one more daunting factor: “Older adults are more likely than their younger counterparts to report that at least one household member experiences difficulties with mobility, vision, hearing, cognition, self-care, or independent living.”
With a big 55% of all adults over the age of 80 now reporting at least one disability, the need for homes that accommodate such disabilities is additionally proving an ever-increasing concern, “yet few homes offer features that enable people with disabilities to successfully navigate and use them.”
But despite this multiplicity of challenges, says the report, the housing needs of older adults also presents a wide array of opportunities for both the private and public sector. Builders and designers may well take on additional work building modifications and improvements into existing homes, while the public sector may step up to the plate with “flexible government programs that can help to finance modifications and improve safety where people live.”
Finally, the report recommends that “additional support is needed to help older adults to reduce their homes’ energy consumption and to fortify their homes against increasingly frequent hazards related to climate change.”
How the nation responds to the housing needs of the Baby Boomers may prove a good test run for what’s up next: Generation X, or those born between 1965 to 1980. Comprising around 63 million people, the first wave of Generation X will reach retirement age in 2030.
By Garry Boulard