IN THIS ARTICLE
01/ Housing
02/ Transportation
03/ Social and Community Engagement Opportunities
04/ Health
Most people imagine spending their later years aging in place, in their current home and community, or moving to a land of palm trees and sand. Both make sense AND there’s much more to consider when deciding where to live in older age.
When thinking about where you want to spend your later years, it is a good idea to assess a home and community for the key elements that contribute to liveability.
Liveability is largely determined by the affordability and accessibility of housing, transportation options, social/community engagement opportunities and health supporting aspects of a community.
It is important to consider how liveable a home and community are not just for today, but for the future as well. If your circumstances were to change, i.e. you stopped working or your functioning were to decrease, would the home and surrounding community still be a good place for you to live?
Read on to learn more and for specific questions to help you assess whether a prospective home and community are a good fit, for now and for the future.
Housing
There are few factors that are as impactful to your quality of life, as you age, as the home you live in. When evaluating how liveable a home is, for the long haul, you will want to consider:
- How affordable is the home where you would like to live? FYI, as a rule of thumb, many experts advise spending only about ⅓ of your monthly gross income on housing costs.
- If you are currently working and were to stop, would you still be able to afford this home? You may think you will never stop working, but data from the most recent census reveals that only 6.8% of people 75 and older are still working.
- If your mobility were to decrease, would the home you currently live in or are considering, accommodate you? i.e. is there a bedroom and bathroom on the main floor and are you able to access your front door without having to walk stairs? If not, is it feasible, from a cost and structural perspective, to make modifications?
- How close is the home to vital retail outlets and services like grocery stores, pharmacies, doctors’ offices, a hospital, etc.?
- If you rent or are considering renting a home, are there laws in the community about capping rent increases? Currently only 5 states, plus Washington DC have rent control, though more are making moves to add caps to rent increases.
- If you own a home, are there real estate tax exemptions for older owners in your city or state?
- If you were to need to move to a more supportive setting, e.g. an assisted living facility, are there suitable options in the area? Could you afford the cost? According to the Genworth Cost of Care Survey (2018), the national median cost for assisted living per month is $4,000 ($48,000 per year).
Transportation
In addition to housing, another aspect of liveability to evaluate is the transportation available in the community. Since most people will eventually “retire” from driving, having adequate transportation options is very important. The exception to this may be if the area is highly walkable.
To assess the adequacy of transportation in the community, you will want to consider:
Are there buses, trains or other public transportation options that are safe and affordable?
If you were to need door to door transportation, are there services like Lyft/Uber, cabs, etc. available?
Are there paratransit transportation options available–cars or vans outfitted to accommodate those in wheelchairs– if you were to need it?
If you were to need subsidized transportation, does it exist in the community? The website Eldercare Locator is a great resource to research subsidized and paratransit transportation options available in different areas.
Social / Community Engagement Opportunities
Another component of liveability, besides the housing and transportation available, are the opportunities for socialization and engagement in a community.
Since isolation and loneliness have been identified as significant health risks, and the risk of both increase with age, it is important that there are sufficient opportunities to meet people and engage where you live.
To evaluate whether there are adequate opportunities for social and community engagement in a particular area, consider:
- How big is the population of older adults or retirees in the area? It can be nice to live in a community with people of mixed ages and life stages, AND having an ample number of people in your same age cohort is also important. You will probably have more in common with people of a similar age and life stage. Plus, if the population of older adults in a community is large enough, it is more likely that there will be services and activities offered to meet the needs and interests of older adults.
- Are there Senior Villages or Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCs)? One of the many ways that Senior Villages and NORCs are helpful to older adults is that they typically offer regular social activities for their members, including: walking groups, book clubs, dinners out, outings to the theater, day trips, etc.
- Are there opportunities at a local community center or elsewhere to participate in music, dance, creative writing, theater or other creative undertakings? There is actually research that links engagement in creative activities with improved quality of life for older adults.
- Some communities have lifelong learning opportunities where older adults can take classes at local colleges and universities. Does yours? Taking classes not only allows people to be active socially, but mentally as well. Engaging in cognitively demanding activities also has the benefit of enhancing memory among older adults, according to research.
Health
Another key factor, influencing the liveability of a community, has to do with the health supporting aspects of a community. When evaluating an area for its health promoting qualities, you will want to consider:
Do ample opportunities for exercise exist? This could mean having sidewalks and trails outside for walking or riding a bike or having different types of fitness outlets (i.e. yoga, pilates, gyms, etc.) nearby.
Are there grocery stores in the area with access to healthy foods, including produce? You want to make sure that the area you live in isn’t a food desert.
Are there a sufficient number of primary care doctors in the area? Are there specialists available, should you need it? There is an increasing shortage of physicians nationwide; this deficit is more profound in some areas than others.
Is there a (good) hospital nearby?
If you were to need in-home help, at some point, how available is this type of help? Similar to the shortage of physicians, there is a nationwide shortage of home health workers. This shortage is more acute in some places, specifically rural areas.
Clearly, there is a lot to think about, when deciding on where to live in your later years. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with considering the appeal of palm trees and sand or the convenience of remaining in your current home and community.
However, by also evaluating the key components of liveability – housing, transportation, social and community engagement opportunities and health – the chances of your home and community being a place that you can remain and, indeed, thrive in your later years, is greatly increased.
