"Stand up in the presence of the elderly, and show respect for the aged. Fear our God. I am the Lord" (Leviticus 19:32).
Joe's Blog
On my blog, I will be sharing with you my perspectives regarding the latest trends, products and services within the Real Estate and housing industry. I realize as a CAPS and SRES member, I have a very unique position to observe what is happening in the marketplace.
Perhaps even more importantly, as a third generation builder and aging boomer myself, I have a lot at stake for my own future housing and care needs for my family. Thus, I will tend to think of you as part of my family too!
WHAT KIND OF HOUSING WILL AN AGING AMERICA NEED?
A recent article in Newsweek Magazine makes this point: "The elderly are no longer a sidelined sliver of society, but its mainstream." Calling the graying of the globe "the most significant population shift in history," Ann Pawliczko of the United Nations Population Fund remarked, "For the first time in human history, the elderly will outnumber children. More and more, it's not the children who are our future, it's the seniors."
This is an exciting time! Boomers like myself are used to changing our culture. We are the nation's largest group of consumers and our preferences have significant consequences. Entire markets, products and services are thriving by appealing to Boomer appetites.
The housing industry and its response to an aging boomer population will be no different. We will not take aging any differently than we have other issues. Thus, we now have terms like "Aging-in-Place" and "Universal Design." If you have not heard these words before, it won't be long until you do. I will be covering them in detail in future stories.
A recent AARP survey states that 90% of Senior Adults want to stay in their own homes as they mature! When you look at some of the alternatives, it's obvious why a person would choose to stay in their home rather than the institution-like setting that the majority of assisted living and nursing home facilities have built.
"People want to stay in their homes, surround themselves with loved ones, and maintain a greater level of control over their care as they age" AARP Director of Policy and Strategy, John Rother, March 16, 2006 Who's Caring for the Cargivers AARP Report.
As Baby Boomers move into the 55+ category, they are also moving past the “senior citizen” terminology and the Florida retirement stereotype. Last year, the first wave of Baby Boomers hit the 60 mark. The number of people age 55 and better in the United States will grow from 69 million to 97 million by 2020.
I can see that most homes in America were not designed to be age friendly. The more people who want to stay in their own homes, the more opportunities there will be for modifications, for remodeling, for upgrading.
Some Key Questions To Ask Yourself When Considering Modifying Your Home
Research shows that in the single-family detached market 35.9% of households in the 55 to 64 age group reported difficulty in at least one physical activity:
- difficulty in dressing (9%);
- vision or hearing difficulty (11%);
- difficulty in going out (11.9%);
- difficulty in walking, reaching, lifting, carrying, climbing stairs or getting around the house (27.1%);
- difficulty in remembering (12.7%);
- and difficulty in working (23.8%).
- More than 45% of those 65 to 74 and 70% of households 75 or older reported difficulty in some activity.
Some General Questions To Ask
- Do I want to add a bathroom and possibly a bedroom to the
- main level?
- How can I make my kitchen more functional?
- Am I worried about preventing falls?
- How much money can I budget for this project?
- Will I need to get a home equity loan?
- Will other members of my family benefit from modifications?
- Will remodeling increase the energy efficiency of my home?
Thus, modifying older residences is important. That is where the concept of "universal design" becomes an important as the Baby Boomer generation matures. I believe this concept will certainly be one of the key developments within the housing industry now and in the future. We all are getting older. As I quoted earlier, the elderly are now America's mainstream. The aging of America is a growing trend and will get larger.
The 2000 Census was the first to ask questions about who is under each roof: 4% of U.S. households (3.9 million) now have three or more generations living together, and one-third of those feature parents who have invited grandparents to move in.
As Americans live longer, they're embracing a European style of intra family care that was common here before children started moving time zones away from parents.
A 2004 study by the AARP and the National Alliance for Care giving revealed that 34 million people are looking after someone 50 or older. Of those, nearly 9 million live with the person they're caring for.
Stay tuned. As we help people to age in place, we create a safer, more comfortable environment for people to live better and profit from tomorrow's technology today.
That's why Comfort Living is so important to me personally. It's a way to design and develop a company that can impact generations. It can save lives, help people to keep making memories (not just sitting around remembering) and add years of enjoyment by keeping the elderly involved with their family, friends and community.
People who are aging have a great deal to offer each one of us. They have life experiences that can teach us many important life changing lessons. As a culture, we seem to have lost our sense of relationships and especially with the elderly. Most cultures extend great honor to their previous generations.
I use a scripture verse from the Bible in many of my materials that tells us what kind of attitude we should have concerning those older than ourselves. It is found in Leviticus 19:12, "Stand up in the presence of the elderly, and show respect for the aged. Fear your God. I am the Lord." Enough said!
JOE SWANSON JR.
Next blog topic: "What I Have Learned As Both A CAPS (Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist) and SRES (Certified Seniors Real Estate Specialist) Member!"
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