Examining the many living options available to the elderly and their diverse nature.
This paper compares the different living arrangements open to elderly people. These include assisted living, home sharing, nursing homes, staying with children, home care agencies, group homes and hospices. The benefits and fall-backs of each type is examined and the paper analyzes which type of people generally choose which type of arrangement. Statistics and data are provided.
“People today are living longer, which means there is a large elderly population in our society. There are many concerns facing the elderly, one of which is housing. The elderly have several options available to them and it’s interesting to see how diverse they can be.
Statistics
Before we look at the housing options for the elderly, we should first explore the statistics concerning the population of this growing group. There were over 35.0 million persons over 65 in the United States in 2000. This accounts for 12.4% of the population or one in every eight Americans. Since 1990, the number of elderly has increased 12.0% in comparison to the 13.3% increase of those under 65. The startling fact is those aged 45-64 increased 34%, meaning there will be a tremendous boom in the elderly population over the next 20 years.”