Category Archives: Housing & Care

Understanding the Growing Need for Long-Term Services and Supports

Male caregiver helping senior woman

People who live with disabling conditions often need assistance. They may require help with the activities of daily living, including bathing, eating, and getting dressed. They may also need assistance with the instrumental activities of daily living, including money management and housekeeping. The kinds of help that people need over an extended time to cope […]

What Is a Life Plan Community?

Life Plan Communities blend several senior housing options within the same property. Life Plan Communities are also known as Continuing Care Retirement Communities. Many CCRCs decided to rebrand as Life Plan Communities because the phrase “continuing care” places undue emphasis on one component of communities that equally serve residents who are capable of living independently. […]

How Can Seniors Find Affordable Housing?

Updated June 2025 The cost of renting a home continues to rise.  Why, the higher rents? Several factors contribute to higher rents, including inflation, a shortage of affordable housing, tenant demand, and the expiration of rent freezes imposed during the pandemic. The lack of affordable housing can be a burden for people who live on a […]

Tips in Choosing an In-Home Caregiver

Updated May 2025 Most caregivers are unpaid. They typically assist adult family members or friends who have a health problem or disability. Most are caring for a spouse or parent. About 85% of the adults they help are age 50 or older. Almost half have reached the age of 75. Typical tasks performed by caregivers […]

Helping Parents Decide: Home Caregivers or Assisted-Living?

Healthcare professional with an elderly patient

As parents grow older, their adult children may be called upon to help them make decisions about their future. Those decisions can be complicated with a parent suffers from a disabling health condition. Surveys show that most older Americans want to age in place. Staying in the family home can be challenging when parents can […]

Will There Be a Senior Housing Shortage? Looking Into the Future

An older couple holding a model of a house.

Updated July 2025 During the worst of the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, older Americans dramatically slowed the rate at which they moved into senior housing facilities. By the end of 2024, occupancy rates in most facilities approached or exceeded pre-pandemic levels. The industry projects 90% occupancy by 2026, with older adults turning to senior housing […]

Best States for Retirement in 2025

Updated May 2025 Retirees have many options when they decide whether and where to relocate. Some decide to remain in their family home. Some cash in their home equity by downsizing while remaining in the same community. Some move closer to their adult children. Some move to a retirement community. Retirees who need care might […]

What Do Purchasers in a Retirement Community Actually Own?

Retirement communities (sometimes known as retirement villages) are designed with older residents in mind. The occupancy of housing units is restricted to older adults. A minimum age of 50 or 55 for at least one resident is common. Some communities allow a younger spouse or adult children to live with the senior resident. Gated retirement […]

10 Types of Housing Options for an Aging Parent

Father and Daughter enjoying a cup of coffee while sitting on the couch together.

When kids move out of the home, parents may decide that the time has come to downsize. As parents age, they may find it difficult to maintain a house. After grieving the loss of a spouse, a surviving parent might decide that it will be easier to move on with life in a different location. […]