A recent HUD review of research on aging in place focuses on assisted housing and ways to encourage seniors to remain in their homes.   The report found that access to quality support services and low-cost home modifications to improve accessibility are effective ways to help the elderly stay in their homes.  These findings show that if a few basic services can be combined with affordable housing for the elderly, it can help low-income seniors stay independent and out of high-cost long term care.

Changing demographics indicate that the number of seniors in the U.S. is climbing and will reach 81 million by 2040, roughly 20% of the population. The change in demographics brings to attention the desire of the retired to stay in their own homes as opposed to moving to a nursing home. 

In response to these demographic changes, HUD funded a preliminary study to look at the demographics of elderly leaving assisted housing in an effort to discover ways to help HUD-assisted elderly age in place. A few of the major findings below:

• Average age of elderly tenants leaving assisted housing: 78
   
• 27% of elderly tenants did not leave assisted housing until 85 or older.
   
• 33% of elderly in long-term care facilities are not “frail elderly” but are in long-term care because they lacked the resources to maintain independence in their own homes.
   
• Elderly leaving low-poverty neighborhoods had an older average age than the elderly leaving areas with higher poverty: 79 years old vs. 76 years old.

A summary of the report can be found here.  And the full report can be found here.