Find out how housing options for the elderly are changing—and not always for the better To maintain or improve their quality of life, many seniors in the United States will move to new locations and into new types of housing. Housing for the Elderly addresses the key aspects of the transitions they’ll face, examines how housing programs can help, and looks at the role social workers can play to ensure they remain healthy, happy, and productive as they age. Housing for the Elderly provides the tools to build a comprehensive understanding of how housing is changing to support the growing number of elderly persons in the United States. This unique resource examines a full range of housing options, including assisted-living communities, elder friendly communities, and homelessness; looks at the effects of the Olmstead Decision of 1999, which requires states to place persons with disabilities in community settings rather than in institutions; and summarizes current research on Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCs). The book also presents a historical perspective of housing issues for the elderly, with a special focus on the discrimination of African-Americans. Topics in Housing for the Elderly include: creating elder friendly communities homelessness among the elderly in Toronto housing disparities for older Puerto Ricans in the United States grandparent caregiver housing programs how the Olmstead Decision affects the elderly, social workers, and health care providers New York State’s experience with NORCs relocation concerns of people living in NORCs the integration of services for the elderly into housing settings-particularly low-income housing moving from a nursing home to an assisted-living facility assisted-living and Medicaid and much more! Housing for the Elderly is an essential resource for social work practitioners, administrators, researchers, and academics who deal with the elderly.

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.

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.

Finding the best place to live in the golden years of life 2008 was a landmark year, as over 79 million people became eligible for Social Security benefits. More and more senior citizens and their children will need to make decisions about where they will live the remainder of their lives and most will seek to downsize and seek out age-appropriate communities. Gilbert Guide, America's premier source of information for senior care and housing needs, provides helpful and comprehensive information about: *How to evaluate housing needs *Each available housing option, including services, contacts, and financing *Subsidized housing *Moving and settling in *How to get the best services *Government agencies and other resources

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.