| Many older people want to stay in their own homes | | | | Home Matching Programs have been gaining in |
| or at least in the same neighborhood. The | | | | popularity because of the lack of adequate senior |
| maintenance and upkeep of a large family home is | | | | housing. The idea is that you contact a service (often |
| not always a practical option, physically and financially. | | | | for a fee) that matches people up as roommates. |
| But a retirement home sounds so... retired. | | | | When it works, it is an excellent situation and can |
| So, where are you going to live if you leave the | | | | enable an older person to stay in his/her own home, |
| home your children grew up in? There are a few | | | | while relieving the feelings of isolation and loneliness |
| options that you might want to explore if you are | | | | that many older people experience. A good |
| adamant about not moving into a structured | | | | home-matching service offers counseling to provide |
| retirement facility. | | | | help in identifying needs and concerns. |
| Manufactured Mobile Homes are an increasingly | | | | Shared Housing is a similar option. This is what the |
| attractive choice for older folks. These homes are | | | | TV sitcom Golden Girls was all about. It can be |
| affordable, energy efficient, spacious and some of | | | | economical, provide companionship, and provide a |
| the models are designed especially for seniors, utilizing | | | | sense of security. It is a peer group situation, but it is |
| "universal design" features. If zoning ordinances | | | | not for everyone. If you've never lived with others |
| permit, they can be assembled near or on family | | | | (or have been on your own for many years), you |
| property, or moved to a senior mobile home | | | | may find it difficult. |
| community. | | | | Adult Foster Care, or Adult Family Homes, is provided |
| Cooperatives are usually found in urban areas. Homes | | | | in a private home occupied by an individual or a family |
| in a cooperative combine the benefits of home | | | | who will offer room, meals, housekeeping, and |
| ownership with the convenience and efficiency of | | | | minimal supervision for a month fee. Staff are not |
| multi-family housing. This idea appeals to those who | | | | permitted to administer medications, however, unless |
| want to build equity in their accommodations but | | | | they are nurses. |
| don't want the isolation or responsibility of a larger | | | | Retirement Hotels (also called Senior Resident Hotels |
| home. | | | | or Senior Apartments) are hotels intended for people |
| Condominiums are also an option. This type of | | | | over 62. Some hotels are high-rises and have |
| ownership offers many advantages to older people. | | | | landscaped gardens while others are drab concrete |
| Condos are different from a conventionally owned | | | | shoe boxes, but they are usually built in good |
| single-family home or an apartment. While you are | | | | locations with nearby public transportation. Rent can |
| holding title to your own living unit, you share | | | | include meals and maid service, activities programs, |
| ownership of common areas. | | | | assistance with personal grooming, and access to a |
| Accessory Apartments are worth considering if your | | | | chore service for a fee. |
| house is too large and the utility bills and maintenance | | | | A Boarding House is when you are basically renting a |
| are too much for you. An accessory apartment is a | | | | room, sometimes shared, in someone else's house, |
| second, completely private living unit created in the | | | | with a manager on the premises. |
| extra space of a single family home. You may have | | | | Senior Apartment Houses are monthly rentals with a |
| heard it called a MIL or mother-in-law apartment. | | | | variety of options. Some have security systems, |
| ECHO Housing (Elder Cottage Housing Opportunity) or | | | | activities, and a full complement of services, while |
| Granny Flats are also an option. These separate, | | | | others offer lodging only. |
| self-contained units are designed for temporary | | | | For a more detailed discussion on retirement housing |
| installation in the side or backyard of an adult child's | | | | options visit this retirement housing site. |
| home. | | | | |