Discover the diverse range of housing options available to the elderly population with this excellent new book. This timely volume addresses the public policy and design and development issues that must necessarily face those concerned with housing our steadily growing elderly population. The chapters cover a broad spectrum of populations including elderly people in “aging ghettoes” in suburbia, continuing care retirement community residents, full-time recreational vehicle travelers, and the homeless elderly. The authoritative contributors go beyond descriptions of wide-ranging elderly housing options and delve into the central themes that influence them all. Optimizing Housing for the Elderly explores some common considerations such as personal security, food and medical services, independence, and social interaction, that are important determining factors when selecting a style of housing, and addresses economic questions including advice on reducing costs in popular continuing care retirement communities, currently inaccessible to lower-income elderly people. Professionals involved in any aspect of housing for the elderly will benefit from the information in this insightful book.

As we age, it's never easy to face the prospect of what to do when we need living assistance. But the reality is that two-thirds of today's seniors will eventually need long-term care, with 20 percent needing it for longer than five years. If you are a retirement-age baby boomer or senior, don't wait for a health crisis to occur. You owe it to yourself-and your family-to plan for the future today. Although we've all heard horror stories, great facilities where residents are treated like gold are out there. How do you find them? You have to do your homework, ask the right questions, and look beyond the superficial to find what's right for you. With experience as both an industry expert and a loving daughter, Diane Twohy Masson is passionate about helping seniors find the retirement community that fits their price range, lifestyle, and needs. This guidebook offers a proactive approach to navigating the complex maze of senior housing options. It will help you understand the costs and consequences of the various possibilities including home care, independent living, assisted living, group homes, memory care, and skilled nursing care facilities.

This volume discusses why many of the large number of housing options available to America's elderly are not viable. Financial constraints and lifestyle are found to be among the reasons for older people finding the housing opportunities inappropriate. These and other topics are discussed and policy ramifications examined.

American society is facing some very tough decisions concerning housing for the elderly--decisions that will be both financially and socially costly to all Americans if they are delayed too long. Given the current trends and present programs, the demand for elderly housing is going to far outstrip the supply within the next 15 years. There simply will not be enough roofs to cover appropriately the heads of the elderly. The solutions to the elderly housing crunch are complex and tangled in the political maze of American social and economic policies. Housing demand--the numbers alone--is a significant problem. However, the situation becomes more complex when the demand is coupled with concerns about housing availability, appropriateness, and affordability. This book examines the problem of housing the elderly, first looking at the demand for housing and then examining the housing supply or alternatives available to the elderly. The abilities of the elderly to help themselves by influencing public policy and obtaining the housing and assistance they need are discussed next, followed by an analysis of the current programs and the emerging trends and proposals. Finally, the elderly housing situation is summarized, and pending congressional legislation is examined in an effort to sort out some recent thinking on this problem. Three common threads run through the articles: The elderly should be encouraged to live independently for as long as possible; they must have a wide range of housing options; and, there must be closer coordination between elderly housing and the services the elderly need.