What are your housing challenges?
The Lawhead Team would like to share the latest One Cool Thing from on the housing challenges the aging population faces.
The U.S. is at the beginning of a 20-plus-year surge in the older population, and is thus at a critical point for putting in place the affordable housing options, accessibility features, and in-home care services that will be needed over the next two decades.
Over the next 20 years, the population aged 65 and older is expected to increase from 48 million to 79 million.
By 2035, one in five people in the U.S. will be aged 65 and over, up from one to seven today.
Housing design features that increase accessibility can allow those with mobility disabilities much more independence in the home. Currently, only 1% of the housing stock offers all five of these features:
- Zero step entrances into the home
- Single-floor living
- Wide halls and doorways to accommodate a wheelchair
- Electrical controls reachable from a wheelchair
- Lever-style handles on faucets and doors
Source: Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University
