Working with Seniors: Health, Financial, and Social Issues

Chapter 8: Housing

The first time that Fern, Betty’s mother, fell in her apartment, help came quickly. Thankfully, Fern was wearing her emergency-alert bracelet. But Fern has fallen a number of times since then, and she has not always been as lucky. Once she fell in the middle of a busy street and sprained her ankle.

The stress on Betty is getting to be too much. She says, “I have lost of count how many times I have left work or dinner with my family because of an emergency with my mother.”

The last straw came when Fern disappeared for a whole afternoon. Betty is now looking for help in making decisions about how to find supportive housing for her mother. But, she doesn’t know where to start.

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Terry and Adam have lived happily in the same home for more than 50 years. At ages 88 and 87, they plan to stay “right where we are as long as possible.” In fact, they have hired a renovation expert to convert a den on the first floor of their two-story Colonial to a bedroom and bathroom in case one of them cannot climb stairs in the future. They are also widening doorways and making the new rooms handicap-accessible in case they need wheelchair access. Terry says, “We are preparing for the future as best we know how and enjoying life the way we always have. We have the best of everything right now.”

Introduction

These two stories represent the extremes of housing options for seniors. Fern is at one end of the spectrum. She needs long-term care and has not planned ahead, leaving the decision to her badly stressed daughter. Terry and Adam are at the other end of the spectrum. They are a healthy and happy couple who are planning ahead and enjoying life in their family home.

Where one grows old matters (Golant, 1984). The decision where to live is one of the most important choices seniors make when deciding how to meet their changing needs. The quality of their housing, neighborhood, and the communities they live in influence whether they have satisfying and rewarding lifestyles and achieve their everyday needs.

Housing is so intimately linked with the comings and goings of seniors that it can give us clues about their well-being. Changes in how seniors occupy or use their homes may signal a change in their physical and mental capabilities. A fall on the stairs, signs of housing neglect, or poorly maintained landscaping may be an indication that a senior is having difficulty adapting to problems related to aging.

To assess the housing options of your senior clients, you may use the following checklist.

1. Does the senior view their present housing situation positively or negatively?

2. Which shelter and care qualities are the most important to them?

3. What housing alternatives are available to them, how do they differ, and what are their strengths and weaknesses?

You can help seniors understand their housing choices and the extent to which they are likely to be compatible with their lifestyles and capabilities, particularly their level of hardiness and financial resources. In order to help you achieve these goals, this chapter addresses: why it can be difficult to help seniors make housing choices; the federal laws that govern housing options; staying put versus relocating; financial strategies; and housing types. It also provides practical information on how to assess the needs of seniors and how to aid them in their decision-making.