It's not enough to hand out brochures. As of June, approximately 8,300 people were in assisted-living apartments, she says, with an average stay of two years. One major development Meyer and Saltz applaud is the increased number of assisted-living communities that have specialized units for cases of dementia and Alzheimer's disease. But you can be confused. And many people who move into traditional assisted living may need to move into a dementia care unit later on.
Prohibitive costs keep some people from even considering assisted living.
Many people must use part of the proceeds from a home sale to cover the costs of assisted living, which is among the most expensive of housing options, says Nicolas Retsinas, M.C.P. '71, director of the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University. Only about three percent of seniors over the age of 70, and roughly seven percent of people aged 85 to 89, are in assisted-living units nationwide, he says. Disparities in wealth and income in society will follow baby boomers, a disproportionately white group, into old age, Retsinas says. Most seniors live in conventional housing and prefer to stay in their own homes as they age, Retsinas says. One problem is that the housing stock ages along with them, increasing maintence costs, and the modifications needed to ensure comfort and safety may not be in place.