NPR: “Peter Pan” Housing is Problem for Senior Living
National Public Radio ran a segment on All Things Considered earlier this week on the problems associated with senior housing in today’s marketplace.
Sitting down with NPR, Joe Pynoos, a professor of gerontology policy and planning at University of Southern California described most homes as “Peter Pan” housing.
“They’re designed for people who are never going to age nor grow old,” he said. “They do have stairs. They often have inaccessible bathrooms. Some of them have inadequate lighting. They don’t necessarily have safety features that will help people avoid falls. And some of them present actual hazards to people. So what we recommend for baby boomers, in fact all people, is they assess their own homes and make modifications as they need them.”
But as anyone in the industry knows, these modifications cost money and with seniors financial resources being so strained, it creates problems.
Listen to the segment on All Things Considered here.
Written by John Yedinak
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Category: Senior Housing
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An addendum to the article above – owners of many "older" assisted living facilities (especially private, for profit) do not want to spend the money to bring their facilities up to date. There are many changes that need to be made even in building that were built specific for AL use. ALs currently being built aren't preparing for the future – they're simply following a cookie cutter design which isn't working. ALs aren't designed for people with major health issues. They were originally built for older adults who needed "some assistance" with Activities of Daily Living. Now they are housing very sick individuals who really should be in nursing homes. Change is necessary NOW.
This is the problem we experienced while shopping for facilities for my mother – they looked nice but were far from adequate for her increasing needs. But I take exception for the suggestion that babyboomers plan to live in their own homes for the rest of their lives. Yes, your direction will appeal to their current mindset. Let's face it, most people under 70 seem resistant to face the realities of aging, much like teenagers who turn a deaf hear to their parents when warned about the perils of smoking or unprotected sex, "that's never going to happen to ME." But IMHO, The Eden Alternative's 3 plagues (loneliness, helplessness, and boredom) are equally if not a greater importantance as a person's physical safety. This is where I see many facilities are more "lipstick on a pig" than "peter pan". They seem attractive on the outside but are far inferior in the quality of service/care than their sales reps portray.
If people need to modify their current home in order to stay in it, I suggest doing a reverse mortgage to pay for the modifications rather than have the senior move into something that will not be adequate in the future. Along with being able to modify the home with the funds from a reverse mortgage, the funds can also pay for "in home caretaker" to come in and assist the seniors with house keeping, food preparation etc. as needed.