What options do the elderly have for housing and what is the best Research Paper

What options do the elderly have for housing and what is the best option - Research Paper Example Knowing this, we come to realization that there will be an increased need for a vast array of different types of housing. The choice of the living arrangements largely depends on the capabilities and needs of the individual. Despite needs for changes, there are things, specific to aging that do not change. Throughout the retirement time the individual will likely have smaller income, and his problems with health are likely to increase. According to statistics, those who live to age 65, on average are likely to live to over 80 years, which makes about 15 - 20 years of life after the retirement. That is a long enough period of time, which presents its challenges: economical, health and psychological pressure, etc. This often leads to the necessity of changing the housing situation a number of times during the time between the onset of retirement and death. To get information on the available housing options for elderly, to determine what are the options preferred and recommended, we lo oked into variety of sources such as articles, congress Acts, governmental and non-governmental Internet resources. Study of the sources provided both the clear description of the problem of housing for elderly as well as wide variety of options of solving the problem. There are many reasons of why the senior citizens might have issues about the housing. However, as the professor McFadden summed it up: â€Å"The main issues in housing the elderly in the United States are affordability and suitability.† (Noguchi, p.109) Once a person or household gets retired, they face the fact that their income will get significantly lower than on the peak of their life. The Government provides senior citizens with Social Security income, private pensions, and public assistance programs. All of these will enable most elderly not to live in poverty. However, the more they age, the less income they will receive. Other issues such as healthcare and quality of life will become more urgent as wel l. Therefore the housing itself will become a problem. The society at large is aware of this problem and significantly contributed to its solving. As of now, elderly citizens have different options to accommodate their housing needs. When considering housing options, the first question is if in-home care is possible. The best advantage for the elderly is that he would stay in the most comfortable place – their own home, and the care givers, such as medical assistant or companion and helper in the home comes to the house. However, this option can too costly. According to the Fair Housing Act (Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968) and The Housing for Older Persons Act of 1995(HOPA), there are two basic federal strategies to accommodate housing needs of the elderly. One of them is building new public complexes. This project is under supervision of Section 202 HUD governmental department. The other strategy is to assess the needs of residents through the governmental fundin g. However, there is large percentage of senior citizens, who will not use federal assistance in solving their housing situation. They do have many options to choose from. All of those options have one big disadvantage to the elderly – they will have to permanently leave their home and start living in a totally new environment. For some, it will be difficult to adjust. Considering housing options, these are the main factors of concern of senior citizens or their relatives: safety issues, location – to be close enough to their children; availability of transportation; challenging inside house set up – staircases, facilities matching to the need and ability of the senior; present house is too big or too costly to maintain, etc. â€Å"Seniors Only† complexes or communities These are apartment complexes,