Imagine being elderly and alone, without savings, adequate income or known family, and too ill to consent to life saving treatment, or to communicate your financial wishes. Imagine further that a court is ready to appoint a guardian for you, but no one is willing to serve, because you are indigent. Unfortunately, this is a […]
Older adults face a number of difficult choices in determining a favorable residential arrangement. An especially daunting challenge is reconciling the need for independence with ensuring access to necessary health care and services. While today there are more options than ever marrying services with residential housing, seniors have made their preferences clear: seven out of […]
While some programs, like Better Government 2017 awardee nesterly, allow seniors to supplement their fixed incomes through renting spare rooms in their home, there is an alternative solution that can help seniors access their home equity without the burden of downsizing or the risk of foreclosure associated with reverse mortgages. Home equity makes up an […]
Transportation is rightly associated with independence—and it’s no surprise that many older adults and people with disabilities see mobility as a vital channel to maintaining autonomy. While it is estimated that 35 million of the 43 million adults 65 and older are licensed drivers, about 14 percent of elders do not drive. This is largely […]
When someone pictures generations connecting through volunteering, a common image is of a teenager or young adult keeping elders company in a nursing home. While that image mirrors a popular convention, there are great opportunities involving a different approach—one focused more on channels to leverage the talent and skills of older adults. On the […]
Can intergenerational housing make a comeback after the heyday of boarding houses in the 19th century? Is there a place for seniors within the sharing economy? nesterly, an aspiring social enterprise focused on alleviating housing insecurity for two of the most budget-constrained demographics—young adults and seniors—answers these questions with a resounding yes. At the […]
Since the 1980’s, assisted living centers (ALCs) have offered seniors a compromise between the independence of private residences and the security and aid of nursing homes, providing residential living with varying degrees of care. According to the Massachusetts Executive Office of Elder Affairs, assisted living centers are ideal for adults who need help with some […]
The American homeless population is in the midst of its own ‘silver tsunami’. As chronically homeless baby boomers reach their 50s, 60s, and 70s, many previously housing-secure seniors are aging into unexpected poverty due to high housing costs on a fixed income. In the U.S., 31 percent of the 564,700 homeless individuals nationwide were over […]
The rising cost of nursing home residency only exacerbates the stress felt by seniors and their families as they make decisions about late-life housing. The cost of housing older adults in these facilities is expected to grow from $170 billion to $260 billion annually by 2025. Nursing homes are responsible for over a third of […]
Aging can change the body in drastic ways—and some individuals are faced with these changes earlier than others. People with intellectual or developmental disabilities (ID/DD) are one example. Sometimes individuals with ID/DD experience a phenomenon called “accelerated aging” where they exhibit symptoms of aging in their 40s and 50s that are usually associated with seniors […]