According to Harvard University’s Joint Center on Housing, the nation is poorly prepared to house aging Baby Boomers, especially those disabled. An added problem is one-third of those aged 50 and older spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing; some boomers who still have a mortgage on their homes, and renters, spend over 50 percent on housing. The U. S. Department of Health and Human Services reports that only three percent of those 65 and older moved in the previous year, and despite all the talk abut empty-nesters downsizing, the opposite is true—boomers are remaining in their single-family homes, and will likely stay until age and/or infirmity forces them to leave, according to a study by Fannie Mae.

Options include moving to senior housing, but even the pre-boomers are reluctant, reflected in the fact the average age of new inhabitants in facilities for seniors is 84. Staying in their homes as they age will require renovations, and many older Americans will not have the resources to effectively convert their homes. But as fool.com reports, devoting public money to help seniors age in place would be money well spent. MHProNews knows another option would be manufactured homes built to accommodate the needs of seniors, a definite affordable housing alternative.  A guest OpEd on that very topic, including the full free download of Harvard’s Joint Center on Housing Study’s on seniors, is linked here. ##

(Image credit: fotosearch.com–question mark homes)