We’re getting older every day, and so is the rest of the world. By 2050, the percentage of the world’s people who are 60 or older will exceed the percentage who are younger than 15. That means we need to start thinking about how we are going to support an aging population as younger people are having fewer children. The traditional model of younger people supporting older family members may not be sustainable as the population of potential caregivers shrinks.
That leaves us with quite a predicament when it comes to housing, engaging and caring for our elderly communities. But, that doesn’t mean it can’t be solved. In fact, there are communities that are setting great examples for the future right now.
Bringing the Young and Old Together
The tiny, but quite innovative, nation of the Netherlands saw their nursing-home-meets-college-dorm program hit viral success a couple years back. PBS explains that the initiative provides university students free housing if they agree to live with the elderly and act as “good neighbors” helping their fellow residents with activities, visiting the ill, and overall just making friends.
The initiative was groundbreaking because it solved a major issue that the elderly face: isolation. At the same time, having the college kids around helped liven up the living accommodations, spur new conversations, and as a program administrator put it to PBS “The students bring the outside world in, there is lots of warmth in the contact.”
Following a similar path, a care facility in Seattle operates a childcare center on the same campus that houses hundreds of older adults. The children and seniors regularly come together for visits and activities that include music, dancing, art, and storytelling. By integrating the clumsy liveliness of youngsters with the slower-paced adult residents, both the children and seniors are able to benefit from the interaction. The solution works because it gives the seniors purpose and daily activities, while providing supervision for the children and a break for the parents.
Giving the Elderly Jobs in the Community
No, we don’t mean taking grandma out of retirement, but giving the elderly jobs that stimulate them can help them live longer and more fulfilled lives. So if we can’t get some of the elderly into retirement communities where they can be safe and cared for, or into initiatives like those mentioned above, we can engage them ourselves.
A video on elder empowerment in Singapore sheds light on the fact that when given the power to make change — in this case, in the design of their nursing home, and then the care of it — the elderly had improved cognition and mood.
Communities can employ this strategy by engaging the elderly in communal gardens for example, as could nursing homes. Elder communities can also bring a sense of purpose and empowerment to seniors by having them cook meals together or take on group projects.
Making Cities Age-Friendly
Loud, chaotic, and sometimes difficult to navigate, you might not think that cities are the best place for seniors to live. But, hectic and crowded cities can be great for the elderly when they provide top-class and close medical care, accessible public transportation, parks, and in general — liveliness and activities.
The problem is that the countryside, and even suburbia, can be isolating. If an elderly person is unable to drive and there’s nothing walkable or accessible by public transportation, they’re stuck. This isolation isn’t just dangerous for their physical health, but their mental health too.
There’s an initiative by the World Health Organization to create a network of “age friendly cities” that create policies and programs that include the aging. That means keeping the elderly in mind when it comes to creating bus routes — or making them accessible for that matter – and even just providing guides and information to the aging on what’s going on in the community around them. It also means getting the elderly involved in aspects of government that affect them — like asking them to join committees.
Urban villages are another approach to making cities more age friendly. As a response to the shortage of affordable housing in metropolitan areas, some cities are offering financial incentives to developers who convert larger properties into smaller suites with bedrooms, bathrooms, and kitchenettes. Residents share communal living areas, holding down the costs associated with more spacious apartments. Ideally, cities require developers to set aside a generous percentage of the units for seniors, promoting their communal interaction with residents of all ages.
Moving Away from Elder Institutionalization
A “retirement home” is nowadays synonymous with a sterile institution where the elderly were, and still are, left to simply live out their final years. But, we have been seeing major strides in moving away from this model. Retirement communities, for one, provide just that — real communities for seniors to interact. They come in all forms — from stand-alone houses within gated communities to high rise apartment complexes.
But, we’re also seeing newer ideas. The Green House Project, for example, plays off of the idea of living at home — something that many elderly find unsustainable with age. The initiative helps put 10-12 people together in a house, to live and interact with one another. There is also care provided within the home.
The Green House Project has found that the bond that’s formed between the residents is not only close, it is much more familial. This is achieved by creating a living space that is like a real home, including bedrooms and a communal kitchen, and by encouraging activities like having everyone eat around the dining room table together.
At the same time, the elderly are able to come and go as they please, have a yard, their own room and bathroom, and can invite guests. In the end, what now seems obvious and simple is really proving to be a model that can be replicated in communities around the globe for both mental and physical wellbeing.
When you really think about it, the future of elderly living is here in front us. The only real problem is the slow adaption, or total lack thereof. Only time will tell if our communities are going to step up to the plate and enforce, integrate, and implement these initiatives.
While “granny pods” have been around for more than a decade, zoning regulations have often served as a barrier to homeowners who want to build one. In recent years, however, complaints about the shortage of affordable housing have fueled a trend to liberalize ordinances that prohibit multiple dwelling units on a single lot.
Accessory dwelling units can be small, free-standing homes, a new addition to a home, or a converted space above a garage. Zoning reform makes it possible for parents or grandparents to live independently on their children’s property. That trend is only likely to grow as the nation’s aging population looks for affordable housing alternative.
Adult Children Staying at Home
The American tradition has been for kids to grow up, move out of the family home, and live in an apartment until they buy a starter home before having their own children. Leaving home has been seen as the first step in a transition to adulthood.
Some European countries have a much different tradition. In countries where housing is expensive and in short supply, children may wait until they are in their late twenties or thirties before they leave home. Some children will remain in their parents’ home and start their own families in homes that have been handed down from generation to generation. Adult children help their aging parents as they raise their own children in the home where they grew up.
Intergenerational living is starting to be a more common model for American families. About 45% of Americans between ages 18 and 29 (the demographic generally identified as “Gen Z”) are living at home with their parents — the highest percentage since the 1940s. A significant share of those adult children moved out of the family home and moved back after struggling to overcome financial challenges.
It is too soon to know whether intergenerational living will be a lasting trend in the United States. Adult children who live at home can act as caregivers if their parents become less capable of independent living. There is some evidence that bonds between parents and adult children strengthen when the children remain at home.
At the same time, a house that had sufficient room for two parents and two kids might be cramped when one of the kids returns with a spouse and his or her own children. Moreover, staying at home may “negatively affect parental savings and assets and young adults’ incomes while causing young adults to become overly dependent on their parents.” Whether intergenerational living will become an American tradition or is simply a temporary response to ever-changing economic circumstances remains to be seen.
(This article has been updated September 2024 since it originally published March 2017.)
