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.

This book embeds the principles of how we should approach the design of future housing for an ageing population, reminding us that this is not about ‘other people’, but about each of us. This book focuses on anticipating the needs and aspirations of the next generation of older people, and touches on what this implies for our communities, our towns and our cities, as well as for our living spaces. It will look at how well-designed buildings can facilitate the provision of care, support independence and wellbeing while providing companionship and stimulation. It will also examine how to ensure that buildings remain flexible over a long life. Dealing mainly with new-build, but with a section on adaptation and refurbishment, this book sets out the underlying design principles that should be applied and the early decisions that must be taken.