Housing Needs to Evolve for Aging Population

Fayetteville, Ark. – One major aspect missing from recent health care reform conversations is housing, especially with regard to the aging population of the United States, according to three University of Arkansas researchers who have collaborated on a new book: “Just Below the Line: Disability, Housing and Equity in the South.”

 Problems in housing will become increasingly evident as the first wave of Baby Boomers enters retirement over the next few years. In the United States, about 40 million residents are age 65 and older. That number is expected to double in the next three decades. The number of people with disabilities will also double during that time.

 Post-World War II housing no longer fits the current baby-boomer lifestyle. It was designed for young, working families, not for an older population.

 Not only will those born in the surge following WWII likely live longer than previous generations after retirement, they’ll also demand more independent residential living than traditional nursing homes or assisted living facilities. Yet, the amount of government funds spent on health care versus housing is a 15 to 1 ratio.

 The University of Arkansas researchers – Smith, Webb and Williams – redefine conventional concepts of aging, disability and housing and offer ideas that could lead to nationwide change, with Arkansas serving as a model.

 The authors started their focused research on aging, disability and housing in 2004 through a statewide survey, with funding from three state agencies. They discovered many misperceptions about what disability actually is and the role that design plays. They found that “well over 90 percent of Arkansans believe they will maintain their independence as they age, though 81 percent believe their health will decline. Fewer than half of these folks, however, believe that the design of their neighborhood will affect their ability to live independently.”

 “We need to be thinking about how we design housing to meet the variety of needs of the current population,” Smith said.

 Disability should be redefined “as a normal part of the human experience, that it exists along a continuum,” Williams said. People move in and out of a variety of levels of functioning throughout the course of their lives – whether they have a cold or a car accident.

 “We just don’t understand the sheer number of people that struggle with some kind of disability, either daily or for a period of their life,” Webb said.

 Nevertheless, functioning is often determined not by the health or abilities of the individual, but by design. Design can enable or disable daily functioning. Out-of-date housing is one of those hurdles, particularly in the South, where reverence for tradition makes change difficult and slow.

 Smith said much of today’s housing, produced during the housing boom of the mid-1900s, “was designed for a young, active, employed, traditional family structure, not for single parents, not for grandparent-run households, not for widows and widowers living by themselves. So the current housing that we have in this country is seriously out-of-date in terms of the way it was designed and also in terms of disrepair.”

 The houses had a “non-open floor plan, cellular organization, and each function had its own room,” he said. Main entries were inaccessible, with steps leading to front porches, and bathrooms and kitchen were small.”

 The one place people should be most comfortable is their own home, where they can create and express their identity. Inadequate housing, however, leads to isolation and decreased independence. Good housing design addresses the needs of all people, even as people’s needs, preferences and abilities evolve.

 “If you’re designing well, what you’re designing should work for the largest number of people on that continuum,” William said.

 “If we continue to ignore housing, we’re going to end up with a great deal of public spending in other areas, especially in the health care arena,” Smith said. “Many issues that are housing problems are currently being solved by the health care world.”

 Their research found that every dollar spent on housing is equivalent to a savings of $1.20 in health care costs. Improved housing conditions allow people to live in their homes longer and avoid pricey hospital stays and nursing home care. These housing solutions could reduce the more than $150 billion per year spent by taxpayers on nursing home care providing more accessible retirement living options. “When you’re talking about $60,000 to $100,000 a year – half the cost of a house – times millions of people, that’s significant,” Smith said.

 Ultimately, housing should be designed with everyone in mind. “Disability is something that we all experience; it’s time to design houses that reflect that,” Williams said.

  

JUNE 2010