Ageing in Place
Older Americans are striving
to age in place, despite physical and economic difficulties in some cases.
Nine in 10 seniors intend to
continue living in their current homes over the next five to 10 years.
Leading reasons for wanting
to stay in their current homes include liking where they currently live (85
percent), having family and friends nearby (66 percent) and not wanting to deal
with the hassle of moving (50 percent).
Finances also play a role in
this decision: 26 percent of seniors planning to age in place say they cannot
afford the cost of moving their belongings, and more than one in five (23
percent) believe their home would not sell in the current market.
The vast majority of all age
groups report high levels of confidence that they will be able to stay in their
homes without having to make any significant home modifications (85 percent of
respondents aged 60 to 64; 82 percent of respondents aged 65 to 69; 86 percent
of respondents aged 70 or older).
Nearly one in five baby
boomers aged 60 to 64 (18 percent) believe the housing options available to
them are unaffordable.
Community Resources and
Support
Many seniors are concerned
that community resources will be spread thin as boomers continue to age. While
more than half (56 percent) of all seniors surveyed report that they are
satisfied with the resources and services their community offers now, almost
one quarter (23 percent) have little or no confidence that these resources will
be available over the next five to 10 years.
Half of older Americans
believe that their community aids their ability to lead a happy and healthy
life. Nearly as many – 42 percent – feel their community has no bearing on
their health or happiness.
Among respondents aged 65 to
69, 28 percent report little to no confidence that their community will have
the resources and services they need to live an independent lifestyle in the
next five to 10 years.
Additionally, 40 percent of
older Americans say that they do not visit the senior and community centers in
their region enough to have an opinion about the quality of the programming and
events available.
When it comes to getting
around their neighbourhood, responses are mixed. The majority of respondents (83
percent) feel safe when they walk in their community, but more than a third (34
percent) do not believe that high-quality transportation services are currently
available.
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