According to this article on MinnPost, the debate rages on about where older Americans should relocate as they age. The article notes that with the growing population of the elderly, we need to find places for them to reside. Unfortunately due to factors like lack of transit, the recession and housing market crash, and simply a lack of desire, most elderly Americans simply want to stay in place and create a negative situation for themselves.
From the article:
Of course, you can do those things anywhere, but elderly people, especially those facing the challenge of physical decline, will probably find it easier to continue doing them in an urban setting.
Why? In suburbia, you have to drive. In a city, you can walk or take the bus or other public transit. At the very least, you can grab a taxi.
Some boomers have already voted with their feet, moving into cities or to suburban town centers. Minneapolis, along with other urban areas, has seen a revival of some of its downtown neighborhoods by an influx of affluent elderly.
But for the most part, boomers, some 84 percent, say that they want to “age in place.” A 2009 MetLife Foundation study found that 62 percent of people aged 55 and over say they plan to stay in suburbia. And, many of them have no choice. The collapse in housing prices during the Great Recession and an inability to sell — or to sell at the price they need — has kept them trapped in their large suburban manses.
While cities, like Apple Valley, are trying to place senior housing in planned suburban city centers and somewhat near mass transit lines as well as build new senior centers, it may be simply too much to ask seniors to follow through in these trying times.
But with numbers like those quoted in the article (15% fewer trips to the doctor and 59 percent fewer to shop and eat out, etc) it seems like the single best thing to do is attract seniors to city centers where the infrastructure already exists to support a car-free lifestyle and doesn’t require more tax breaks and possible tax dollar infusion to get started.
What are your thoughts about where seniors should live to support a car-free lifestyle as they age? Do you think that suburban senior development is a good idea or do you think they should be brought back into the city center? Do you think that with the reverse flight from suburbia by the middle class that seniors will be squeezed for room? Whatever you have to say please share it below!
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June 13th, 2012 at 8:28 am
I support any senior lifestyle that makes them car free, or at least until the auto-car is available to them.
June 13th, 2012 at 8:59 am
They don’t even need to be car free, they just need to keep off the interstate/practice freeway between the hours of 7-8am and 4:30-5:30pm. Nothing pushes me closer to road rage than seeing two people (seemingly of retirement age) holding back a platoon of cars, 10 mph under the speed limit during rush hour.
June 13th, 2012 at 9:00 am
I plan to continue aging anywhere I please. Thanks for asking.
June 13th, 2012 at 10:03 am
Just give me a place with a front porch where I can sit and yell at the world.
June 13th, 2012 at 12:32 pm
The should age wherever the hell they want.
June 13th, 2012 at 1:29 pm
tb, don’t blame the oldsters for fucking up the traffic:(
bb
June 13th, 2012 at 2:44 pm
At some point, it doesn’t matter where you live; you’re not getting out. My in-laws, for example, moved to an assisted living facility in Apple Valley. For various health reasons, they can’t drive anymore, legally (in the case of one of them) or for reasons of good sense (the other). So they could live in Minneapolis, Apple Valley, or anywhere else.
June 13th, 2012 at 4:06 pm
I don’t often think seriously about matters like this, but when I do, I drink Dos Equis.
June 13th, 2012 at 9:32 pm
Seniors should live where they want. Not all of them are in a position to be able to relocate anyway, and it may be easier for them to be in the suburbs if it puts them closer to family depending on their individual situations. I don’t see a one-size-fits-all solution to this.
June 13th, 2012 at 10:40 pm
We’re running into this issue with my parents. My mom is still somewhat able to take care of my dad and keep things going. We’ve hired help for them with whatever we can and travel home often to help out with maintenance and such. At some point in the near future though they will not be able to stay there. Once my mom can no longer drive they may have to go into assisted living or a senior housing. I am not at all looking forward to the day when we have to convince them that they need to leave the house they’ve lived in for 50 years.
June 14th, 2012 at 5:09 am
They should live where they can age in place, from one setting to the next, preferably in or near the city where they raised their kids and have connections. Chances are, someplace like that has been built near them by now. People they know or might have community connections with will also be living there or nearby.
I’m talking people who are on the edge of or have reached diminished physical and/or mental capacity. They all will, unless they die unexpectedly. Aggressive relocation choices are those of “young,” adventurous seniors. I suspect they’re the exception.
Every environment must be safe. My folks moved into a senior townhome, but it wasn’t safe because there was a kitchen island at just the right height to break my mother’s ribs when she fell. And the old man insisted on placing entry rugs that she could trip on. He didn’t mean any harm.
Assisted living was the answer — it was available within their development — but they couldn’t be talked into it by children or doctor.
Regardless of setting, there is one paramount concern:
Safety.
June 14th, 2012 at 7:21 am
Personally my retirement will be in trailor somewhere out in the woods where I can sit in my wifebeater and shoot shit off the porch.
Althougth I’m not sure I’ll make to retirement, another dream dead.
My folks, who have over their lives demonstrated a complete lack of judgement and common sense, on their retirement decided that as a reward for a life of hardwork and sacrifice, they should by a place in a gated community that’s bigger than what they lived in for 20 years with more bedrooms, bigger yard… I tried to influence the decision, even offered to buy them a small home a few blocks from us in Apple Valley.
Since in their minds it was about what they “deserved” and not what they “needed” the pulled the trigger and now find themselves completely isolated. Father doesn’t drive anymore, buy order of the State of California. Mother is getting to that point as well. There’s no transportation, especially in a gated community, which is difficult for their friends to gain access too as you have to buzz everyone in with a phone code.. a confusing process for an 87 year old… and so, they’ve retired and sit alone in their dream house looking at the big yard a gardner has to care for and probably wish they had made other choices.
Personally I’d like to live a car free lifestyle now.. I’m closer than a lot of people already, and I’m not that old.
Shut up Bill.
June 14th, 2012 at 6:25 pm
They definitely “should be brought back into the city center.” it is much easier for the soylent green scoops that way.
June 19th, 2012 at 8:25 pm
I prefer for my parents to age gracefully with me…so that I can get free childcare when I start having kids.
Just Kidding.
Sort of…
June 23rd, 2012 at 8:17 pm
For the past 2 years I’ve been working with my Mother on figuring out what she is going to do once she retires. It’s a cluster, she wants to maintain her independence and is so unwilling to move, or live with any of her kids, that she has decided she’ll work a few more years. Her social won’t cover her for independent living, but she doesn’t want to move. I can’t get her to find a job north of Northfield. So she ends up spending money to have a cab bring her to Eagan or Lakeville for Dr. Appointments. I, my brother and 2 sisters will probably end up having to cover the difference once she quits working. Which means I’ll probably have to. sigh. hopefully in a couple years I could, right now it would never work.
My ideal situation when retiring would be a nice condo in Minneapolis. Never have to drive again, don’t have to go outside in the winter and risk breaking a hip. Any Dr. or Dentist, or Barber, or Vision or anything I could need would be withing walking distance. While I love the idea of being able to own a single family home in my old age, my grand parents have really shown me how silly such an idea is. I hate moving… I hate it.. I hate it.. I hate it.. I plan to move only 3 more times in my life. Once to some rental property. Once to buying a town house or small single family home again. And then once more into a condo in the city.