Most seniors will live longer, healthier and wealthier than their predecessors. But they won't be able to escape the consequences of aging, according to a new report which challenges the housing industry and public policy makers to help the nation's elderly live out their remaining years in relative comfort.

"With America's senior population doubling in the next 30 years to nearly 70 million, it is important to understand how their needs can best be met," says Eric Belsky, executive director of the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University. "Fewer seniors will have large families from which to draw support, and continuing income and wealth disparities among seniors will restrict the housing choices of many, especially as longevity increases."

The Joint Center's report points out that the nation's housing stock is simply not designed to meet the changing needs or even preferences of the seniors who own them. And nine out of ten owners age 70 and over reside in conventional dwellings that have not been outfitted to meet their frailties.

The report estimates that only half the nation's disabled seniors have the modifications their occupants think they need. "This leaves hundreds of thousands of seniors without the handrails, grab bars, ramps, elevators, stair lifts and other structural modifications that would help them function more easily at home," it says.

Even more troubling is that "today's dramatic disparities in wealth" will follow the baby boom generation into retirement, continuing to limit the housing choices of millions of seniors. "Severely burdened home owners will have difficulty maintaining their homes in a safe and proper condition, let alone be able to afford modifications and in-home services." the report warns.

But there also is a positive side as well, the Joint Center points out: The market for home modifications is "large and growing," and so is the market for support services to help older people remain in their houses. "Although the graying of America will not be without challenges, meeting the changing housing preferences and needs of healthier, wealthier and more educated seniors presents substantial opportunities," the report says.

Currently, just 20 percent of the households with at least one person over age 90 receive help from an outside group or non-relative, the study found. And in the 70-79 age bracket, the share slips to a mere 5 percent.

While much has been made of alternative housing arrangements shared housing in which a senior or senior couple moves in with a non-senior, or visa versa; supported housing where they receive outside help from a non-family member they still are not terribly popular, according to the Joint Center.

Only 15 percent of the elderly take advantage of these arrangements. But they become more viable alternatives as it becomes increasingly difficult for the senior to cope with the rigors of daily living. And the fewer children the seniors have living nearby, the more likely they are to opt for shared or supported housing.

Assisted communities also have received a lot of attention, yet places that provide varying degrees of care for their occupants are home to just 3 percent of the nation's seniors age 70 or more who don't live in nursing homes.

The share rises with age, however. But neither income, wealth nor education is a strong factor in the decision to move to an assisted community, the study found. Rather, many seniors enter these facilities with the expectation of future disabilities or to take advantage of other services they offer.

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Published: February 25, 2000

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When Lew Sichelman first started writing about housing in 1969, he was the youngest real estate writer in the country. Now, 37 years later, he's one of the oldest -- and most decorated. He has been rated the top housing columnist in the country by the National Association of Realtors as well as by his peers in the National Association of Real Estate Editors. Indeed, NAREE has recognized his work on numerous occasions. One year - due to his advancing age, he can't recall which one - he earned top honors in the annual NAREE Journalism Contest in three out of the four major writing categories. It was the first time one writer has won so many NAREE awards in a single year. Known for his ability to make even the most difficult topics understandable, Sichelman also has been honored by the National Association of Home Builders and the Mortgage Bankers Association. He began providing in-depth coverage of and consumer-oriented information about housing and housing finance at the Washington Daily News, where he was real estate editor. He held that same position for nine more years at the Washington Star, which purchased the News in 1972. The Star, a so-called "writer's newspaper" which also had the misfortune of being an evening paper, was put out of its misery in 1981, and Sichelman, who had begun self-syndicating his column in 1978, decided to become a full-time columnist. Today, his column, "The Housing Scene," is distributed by United Media to newspapers throughout the country. He also is on the staff of National Mortgage News, an independent newspaper which is considered the bible of the mortgage business. And he writes for numerous other publications, including MarketWatch.com, where he answers readers questions once a week, Sports Illustrated (don't ask), RealtyTimes.com, BigBuilder and others. Sichelman is married, the father of five and grandfather of eleven.