I Age In Place

The Urban Institute published a story about the growing population of baby boomers. Between 2010 and 2020, the senior population is expected to grow by some 36 percent. That’s an amazing number. And according to the Brookings Institution, these numbers will grow more rapidly in the southeast, the intermountain west and especially Texas.

The challenges to the economy and the housing crisis have slowed the plans of baby boomers. Florida has experienced a loss of migration with people from places like New York and Chicago choosing to remain in place for the time being. Yet surveys continue to indicate the boomers still have a desire to make a move. So where will are they likely to go??

Here are the places the Urban Institute predict to have the greatest boom in boomers.

Areas That Will Experience Senior Growth Due to the Aging of Baby Boomers

Metro area Growth rate

Raleigh-Cary, N.C. 31.6
Austin-Round Rock, Texas 30.1
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, Ga. 29.8
Boise City-Nampa, Idaho 28.7
Las Vegas-Paradise, Nev. 27.8
Orlando-Kissimmee, Fla. 27.2
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, Texas 23.7
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas 22.7
Colorado Springs, Colo. 22.6
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Texas 21.5
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Ariz. 21.0
Charleston-North Charleston, S.C. 20.8
Albuquerque, N.M. 19.5
Tucson, Ariz. 19.2
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Va. 19.1
Salt Lake City, Utah 19.0
Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord, N.C.-S.C. 18.2
Denver-Aurora, Colo. 18.1
Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin, Tenn. 18.1
Ogden-Clearfield, Utah 18.0

If you are a baby boomer that is now looking at “retirement” there are many considerations that should be examined. Not only is the type of housing important, perhaps fixing up the existing residence by removing the architectural barriers that impede personal independence. But if moving to another part of the country is on the options list, here are some important considerations, broken down by regions and states that boomers would be wise to examine.

Where to Live After Retirement

You can live in Phoenix , Arizona where…..

1. You are willing to park 3 blocks away because you found shade.

2. You’ve experienced condensation on your butt from the hot water in the toilet bowl.

3. You can drive for 4 hours in one direction and never leave town.

4. You have over 100 recipes for Mexican food.

5. You know that ” dry heat” is comparable to what hits you in the face when you open your oven door.

6. The 4 seasons are: tolerable, hot, really hot, and ARE YOU KIDDING ME??!!

You can Live in California where…

1. You make over $250,000 and you still can’t afford to buy a house.

2. The fastest part of your commute is going down your driveway.

3. You know how to eat an artichoke.

4. You drive your rented Mercedes to your neighborhood block party.

5. When someone asks you how far something is, you tell them how long it will take to get there rather than how many miles away it is.

6. The 4 seasons are: Fire, Flood, Mud, and Drought

You can Live in New York City where…

1. You say “the city” and expect everyone to know you mean Manhattan .

2. You can get into a four-hour argument about how to get from Columbus Circle to Battery Park, but can’t find Wisconsin on a map.

3. You think Central Park is “nature,”

4. You believe that being able to swear at people in their own language makes you multi-lingual.

5. You’ve worn out a car horn.

6. You think eye contact is an act of aggression.

You can Live in Maine where…

1. You only have four spices: salt, pepper, ketchup, and Tabasco .

2. Halloween costumes fit over parkas.

3. You have more than one recipe for moose.

4. Sexy lingerie is anything flannel with less than eight buttons.

5. The four seasons are: winter, still winter, almost winter, and construction.

You can Live in the Deep South where…

1. You can rent a movie and buy bait in the same store.

2. “y’all” is singular and “all y’all” is plural.

3. “He needed killin’” is a valid defense.

4. Everyone has 2 first names: Billy Bob, Jimmy Bob, Mary Sue, Betty Jean, MARY BETH, etc.

You can live in Colorado where…

1. You carry your $3,000 mountain bike atop your $500 car.

2. You tell your husband to pick up Granola on his way home and he stops at the day care center.

3. A pass does not involve a football or dating.

4. The top of your head is bald, but you still have a pony tail.

You can live in the Midwest where…

1. You’ve never met any celebrities, but the mayor knows your name.

2. Your idea of a traffic jam is ten cars waiting to pass a tractor.

3. You have had to switch from “heat” to “A/C” on the same day.

4. You end sentences with a preposition: “Where’s my coat at?”

5. When asked how your trip was to any exotic place, you say, “It was different!”

AND You can live in Florida where..

1. You eat dinner at 3:15 in the afternoon.

2. All purchases include a coupon of some kind — even houses and cars.

3. Everyone can recommend an excellent dermatologist.

4. Road construction never ends anywhere in the state.

5. Cars in front of you are often driven by headless people.

Here is an interesting and insightful article by KARL KARCH, from AGINGTOGETHER.ORG about what the aging population is thinking about as they grow older, perhaps wiser.

To read this article, GO HERE

While baby boomers may not necessarily consider how the principles of universal design might help them with their independency as they face the challenges of the aging process, it doesn’t mean that it is not catching on …at least by some in the design community. Builder Magazine published the winners of the AARP’s 2010 Livable Communities Awards and there were some great designs submitted.

Here is the link over to that article on the winners and along with photos. Enjoy. CLICK HERE

Anyone who has been working with baby boomers and their parents already knows the challenges of getting them to accept that one day they may need a residence that will be designed to help them maintain their independency.  Talking with individuals about curbless showers and grab bars gives them visions of some institution like a nursing home.  But good design will not only provide the needed safety and security they will need at some point but also be great looking.  That is the solution to getting them to go along with the programming. But there are new challenges on the horizon.

In a recently published article in Builder magazine online by  Teresa Burney, the key is building trust.  Amen.  To read the entire article, try checking it out by CLICKING HERE. It really speaks to the issue of how the recent economy crisis has changed the way baby boomers are looking at the next few years. What they thought about their retirement and their future has dramatically been altered. It may mean changes to the baby boomer landscape…. including making the necessary improvements where they live now rather than cash it all in for a “over-55″ community, a goal of many boomers until savings were cleared out, jobs lost and families moved in together to save on expenses.

According to a new profile about baby boomers from the U.S. Census, Los Angeles has the largest number of baby boomers than all other cities.  But following LA, several other cities have pretty significant numbers of baby boomers.#2-Chicago (Cook County, IL ),

#3-Houston (Harris County, TX) and

#4-Phoenix (Maricopa County, AZ)

But there was more interesting data about boomers:

•  In five states, Vermont, Main, Montana, New Hampshire and Connecticut, boomers make up some 28 to 30 percent of the population,… a number that would certainly affect the local and state governments ability to care for their residents.

•  Three areas of the US saw their baby boomer population grow significantly over the last few years…. including Flager County, FL that grew 53%, Lyon County, NV by 31.8% and Pinal County, AZ by 31%.

The profile that the Census Bureau published also indicated that almost three-fourths of the baby boomers were working and lived in homes they owned outright or were buying.  The group also had the lowest percentage in poverty, with only 8.9 percent, compared with younger and older adults.

For those in the design profession, these are numbers that would certainly indicate a unique business opportunity as they continue to age and start considering options about where they will want to be in the next few years.

Here is another look at the current U.S. population and how the boomers compare to the rest of the country:

• Baby Boomers (born 1946 to 1964), range in age from 45 to 63 years old. They comprise 40% of today’s workforce.
• Generation X (born 1965 to 1980), range in age from 29 to 44 years old. They comprise 36% of today’s workforce.
• Millenials – aka Generation Y (born 1981 to 2000), range in age from 9 to 28 years old. They comprise 16% of the workforce, and the number is growing steadily.
• Matures – aka The Silent Generation (born from 1922 to 1945) are 64 and older. They comprise 8% of the workforce, and the number is steadily declining.

Baby boomers have a great many issues to face up to as they age. Perhaps at the top of the list is that they may be called upon to take care of an aging relative or friend. But as the boomers enter their later years, many are beginning to experience more disabilities than did the previous generation. A recent study and survey published by the American Journal of Medicine and written by a professor at UCLA, Teresa Seeman, indicates that the oldest people ( those in their 70s and 80s ) have actually experienced less disability,… perhaps because they did grow up with better nutrition and good medical treatments. All of this came as quite a surprise to many who study such things and believed that boomers were actually in better shape because of better health care available to them.

The study cites rising levels of obesity as a reason since the largest increases in disabilities in baby boomers were those who were overweight. The measures of disability included how effectively can an individual perform activities of daily living (ADL) such as performing household chores, taking care of their personal finances or walking up a flight of stairs.

The implications of this study are large since residential design very rarely addresses the needs of an aging population and what adaptions will be required for the 76 million to permit them to age in a place of their choice. Its all about independency more than disability. It is about choice and not whether one requires a chair for mobility. It is about time to capture this evolution in our culture and design spaces that will be accessible at any age, at any time.

For years, there have been conversations about the “greening” of the planet, conserving our earth’s resources for future generations. And for years, the concept of universal design continues to change how we look at accessibility, some 30 years after its development. But when it comes to the design for an aging population, we have yet to contemplate how the two trends might come together to help provide accessible, adaptable homes and apartments that provides a life sustainable environment.

Imagine the possibilities: creating “green” interiors and exteriors while providing spaces that support the occupants in an accessible, safe and secure environments, homes and houses that would span a life time of living. There would be of course elements of sustainable design included in the design of the residence….low VOC finishes, great indoor air quality, energy efficient appliances, water management systems, etc.

Then add universal design principles… low or level thresholds at the entrances, better lighting to address failing eye sight, wider doors and halls that might some day have to accommodate someone in a wheelchair or walker, levers on the doors, pulls on the cabinets, rather than knobs and bi-level counters in the kitchen and baths, basically creating places that sustain independence.

Now, what a fine place that would be!
What a great way to sustain a higher quality of life.
Perhaps the time has come to broaden the dialogue and blend these trends.
Imagine the possibilities!!

Most everyone knows that the baby boomers will change and challenge the US as they continue to grow older. What few people realize is that this same demographic shift is being felt around the world. According to the Arizona Republic, Mexico’s population of people older than 60 is growing at a rate that is double that of the United States. This shift will surely challenge their government programs in much the same way as they are starting to in the US.

In Mexico, there are 9.9 million people older than 60, or about 9 percent of the population,… and increase of 5 percent from 1975. In the United States, we have seen the population growth expand for those over 60 from 14.8 percent in 1975 to a whopping 18 percent this year. The predictions indicate that as baby boomers age, 22-24 percent of the population will be over 60 by the year 2015,… certainly a challenge for government services like social security and health care. By the year 2050, those over 60 will exceed 25% of the population in the U.S.

And as baby boomers consider their elder years, they will be challenged by where they will live and what kind of home they might need to accommodate health care issues of their parents, many who are living much longer than the previous generation. Perhaps now is the time to contemplate the challenges of the future and make provisions in housing that will permit baby boomers to reside in a place of their choosing and for as long as they are able to care for themselves and family members.

A recent research project indicated that design can create impact with members of the U.S. aging population ( and baby boomers ) as customers and clients of retail businesses. To learn more about the article that was published in the Wall Street Journal, GO HERE. It offers an interesting insight on placement of products, signage and store design.