Well-designed independent living facilities help ease housing crisis

November 21, 2024

Well-designed independent living facilities help ease housing crisis

By LAURA DOUGHERTY
Cushing Terrell

Experts have predicted a “silver tsunami” that would bring much-needed relief to the strained housing market. The theory suggested that, in 2024-25, a wave of baby boomers would downsize, placing their too-large homes on the market for younger growing families who have struggled to break into homeownership.

Yet as we’re nearing the end of 2024, this prediction hasn’t quite panned out — often because it isn’t cost-effective for older Americans to downsize (if they even want to, as AARP data shows that 77 percent of adults 50 and older would like to remain in their homes).

As reported by The New York Times, it was traditionally assumed that older adults would sell their houses (mortgages paid off) to fund their retirements. But a historic housing shortage is pinching that notion. Often, a smaller home just isn’t cost-effective: An NPR report that cited Redfin data found that most baby boomers with mortgages have low rates — meaning it wouldn’t make financial sense to take out a new mortgage when rates are now about 7%.

It leaves the housing market in a stalemate: Young families that need homes with multiple rooms can’t afford the few that are on the market, but finding new residences is too cost-prohibitive for many older Americans to vacate just such houses that would bring relief to inventory and prices.

One solution to this problem is to create new, affordable properties that address what an older population is looking for in a home: a low-maintenance residence with social connection and universal design.

Independent living (IL) residences — which are often age-restricted — are one such option. These properties are ideal for older adults in relatively good health, as they do not offer the personal care or medical services that are found in assisted living or nursing homes.

This is not to say they don’t keep wellness in mind: IL residences offer spaces for a variety of healthy activities — yoga, pickleball and gardening, to name a few — as well as built-in community, which can fight loneliness, one of the biggest health concerns for many older Americans.

IL properties can also be a more affordable option for a number of reasons, often purely as a result of being focused on older residents. Some property owners will ensure the residences are mixed-income, which allows for subsidies via federal, state and local sources (and not through cheaper construction or finishes).

These programs provide subsidies for rental rates based on area median income. That means IL properties that welcome a diversity of economic backgrounds provide greater economic accessibility to everyone.

Once this affordability piece is met, the focus can be on other features that meet residents’ needs, including designing a homey (albeit smaller!) atmosphere, communal spaces and universally accommodating facilities.

BRIDGING THE GAP

Many new residents to IL communities have lived in their previous homes for decades, so for the transition to a multi-family unit to be smooth — and appealing — it has to feel as personalized and cared for as their former home.

Each residential space can be considered a scaled-down version of a full house, with many of the amenities a person has grown accustomed to — but in a smaller space.

While moving into a communal setting can feel like reverting back to college dorm days, elevated finishes such as solid surface countertops and luxury flooring help make the transition more appealing and “mature.” This attention to quality acknowledges that residents have put in a lifetime of work, and they deserve a great space that reflects this fact.

Additionally, the pandemic taught us, or maybe spotlighted, how much people appreciate having access to personal outdoor space. In an effort to give residents a place to relax that is exclusively theirs, units are optimally designed to include a balcony or other private outdoor area whenever possible. The ability to move freely from inside to the outside without needing to share that space (or run into any neighbors) is something anyone can appreciate.

Downsizing does mean that the ability to host guests changes. But even here, common spaces — such as dining rooms — that can be booked in advance to serve meals to friends and family as you might in your own home are available to residents.

AN OPPORTUNITY FOR STRONGER COMMUNITY

One of the most exciting benefits to IL facilities is the chance to live among other individuals in a similar life stage. But, of course not everyone is necessarily interested in doing the same activity or engaging in the same pastimes. IL facilities are equipped with amenity spaces that can provide opportunities for solitude or quiet activities (libraries, reading rooms, raised garden beds), creative activities (game rooms, craft rooms, wood shop), physical activities (fitness room, yoga studio, pickleball), or entertainment (theater, internet cafe, adult lounge).

Because planners can’t assume what everyone will want to do on any given day, rooms should be designed with flexibility in mind (why design a room specifically for pilates if the residents who eventually fill the space don’t care much for the activity?). An ideal and agile community/amenity space could be used for a quilting club one afternoon, and then as a potluck space the following evening.

These facilities can be a tool used to fight loneliness: In 2023, a national poll found that about 37% of U.S. adults aged 50-80 years experienced loneliness, and 34% reported feeling socially isolated. This can have enormous negative repercussions, as loneliness is associated with an increased risk of heart disease, dementia, stroke, anxiety, and depression.

By designing spaces that allow for a multitude of ways to find and engage in community, residents can keep their independence longer by harnessing positive wellness attributes that come from socialization.

UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR SAFETY AND INCLUSION

The concept of universal design is one of inclusion: If someone with the greatest accessibility issues can use something, it becomes easier for everyone’s use. An easy-to-grip handrail makes movement easier not just for someone with arthritis, but for anyone trying to ease themselves from point A to point B.

For someone debating the move to an IL community for the purpose of accessibility, consider that the cost of retrofitting your own home can be steep: Adjusting kitchen and bath countertops; adding ramps, elevators or stair lifts; installing nonslip flooring, roll-in showers, grab bars and structural backing; and increasing door widths can add up to tens of thousands of dollars in construction costs, not to mention the time and disruption of in-home construction.

At an IL facility, those universal design elements are built in — and without it feeling like the addition of hospital elements to a family home. Plus, these features exist in the residences and shared spaces before you even know you’ll need them.

Some of the typical accessible design features included when building IL communities include multiple elevators to get residents as close to their units as possible. An H-shape design allows for ease of circulation: Shared amenity spaces are in the middle and residences are in the wings, with a simplified path that makes most trips a straight line with a single turn and minimal overall travel. Outside, covered walkways can reduce slipping during inclement weather.

When designed well and made affordable, independent living communities can solve myriad problems, not the least of which include easing the housing crisis and reducing concerns that come with aging. IL properties filled with a diverse population of older adults lower everyone’s cost of living — lifting a burden from Americans of all ages.

Laura Dougherty is a senior architect and associate principal leading Cushing Terrell’s Denver design studio.

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