Packaging supportive services with housing—a pressing issue for older adults The population of older adults is expected to explode in the coming years. Linking Housing and Services for Older Adults: Obstacles, Options, and Opportunities examines a crucial, complex, and often overlooked issue for policymakers and the public at large: older adults’ increasing needs for housing and supportive long-term care services. As baby boomers strive to help their parents make difficult decisions about their options, pressure mounts for policymakers to develop appropriate housing and services. This book brings together respected experts to discuss the answers to difficult questions about meeting the housing and support service needs of aging adults. Linking Housing and Services for Older Adults: Obstacles, Options, and Opportunities explores in-depth the tough issues pertaining to which populations are presently being served, what their needs are, and who is being left out. You’ll learn exactly what types of services are available, who is providing them, and how are they packaged. From residential care to assisted living to institutional care, this book addresses all facets of the complicated problems of providing availability to fulfill need. This important source presents insightful analysis of the total range of issues and the challenges to progress as well as offering specific recommendations to effectively offer housing and vital long-term care supportive services to older adults. Linking Housing and Services for Older Adults: Obstacles, Options, and Opportunities discusses in detail: the argument for increased development of supportive housing for older adults—and the barriers preventing it the issues related to providing a variety of housing and service options to the Medicaid population two case studies that illustrate how policies aimed at linking housing and services play out at the state and local level—and the need for strong leadership and the ability to develop key partnerships as vital aspects for success the interrelationship of factors regarding nursing home admission, the availability of subsidized housing, and Medicaid eligibility the need for care management to be holistic—including environmental care assessment, repair, and renovation management in addition to current long-term care settings creating affordable assisted living facilities for older persons receiving Medicaid services the successful components of the national Coming Home Program four case studies emphasizing different finance and regulatory approaches—providing lessons learned for developers, state agencies, and advocates of affordable assisted living This vital educational resource is also an essential reference for local, state, and national policymakers, housing officials, and long-term care providers.

Find out how housing options for the elderly are changing—and not always for the better To maintain or improve their quality of life, many seniors in the United States will move to new locations and into new types of housing. Housing for the Elderly addresses the key aspects of the transitions they’ll face, examines how housing programs can help, and looks at the role social workers can play to ensure they remain healthy, happy, and productive as they age. Housing for the Elderly provides the tools to build a comprehensive understanding of how housing is changing to support the growing number of elderly persons in the United States. This unique resource examines a full range of housing options, including assisted-living communities, elder friendly communities, and homelessness; looks at the effects of the Olmstead Decision of 1999, which requires states to place persons with disabilities in community settings rather than in institutions; and summarizes current research on Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCs). The book also presents a historical perspective of housing issues for the elderly, with a special focus on the discrimination of African-Americans. Topics in Housing for the Elderly include: creating elder friendly communities homelessness among the elderly in Toronto housing disparities for older Puerto Ricans in the United States grandparent caregiver housing programs how the Olmstead Decision affects the elderly, social workers, and health care providers New York State’s experience with NORCs relocation concerns of people living in NORCs the integration of services for the elderly into housing settings-particularly low-income housing moving from a nursing home to an assisted-living facility assisted-living and Medicaid and much more! Housing for the Elderly is an essential resource for social work practitioners, administrators, researchers, and academics who deal with the elderly.

As the first of the nation's 78 million baby boomers begin reaching age 65 in 2011, they will face a health care workforce that is too small and woefully unprepared to meet their specific health needs. Retooling for an Aging America calls for bold initiatives starting immediately to train all health care providers in the basics of geriatric care and to prepare family members and other informal caregivers, who currently receive little or no training in how to tend to their aging loved ones. The book also recommends that Medicare, Medicaid, and other health plans pay higher rates to boost recruitment and retention of geriatric specialists and care aides. Educators and health professional groups can use Retooling for an Aging America to institute or increase formal education and training in geriatrics. Consumer groups can use the book to advocate for improving the care for older adults. Health care professional and occupational groups can use it to improve the quality of health care jobs.

Accessible and affordable housing can enable community living, maximize independence, and promote health for vulnerable populations. However, the United States faces a shortage of affordable and accessible housing for low-income older adults and individuals living with disabilities. This shortage is expected to grow over the coming years given the population shifts leading to greater numbers of older adults and of individuals living with disabilities. Housing is a social determinant of health and has direct effects on health outcomes, but this relationship has not been thoroughly investigated. In December 2016, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened a public workshop to better understand the importance of affordable and accessible housing for older adults and people with disabilities, the barriers to providing this housing, the design principles for making housing accessible for these individuals, and the features of programs and policies that successfully provide affordable and accessible housing that supports community living for older adults and people with disabilities. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.

Social isolation and loneliness are serious yet underappreciated public health risks that affect a significant portion of the older adult population. Approximately one-quarter of community-dwelling Americans aged 65 and older are considered to be socially isolated, and a significant proportion of adults in the United States report feeling lonely. People who are 50 years of age or older are more likely to experience many of the risk factors that can cause or exacerbate social isolation or loneliness, such as living alone, the loss of family or friends, chronic illness, and sensory impairments. Over a life course, social isolation and loneliness may be episodic or chronic, depending upon an individual's circumstances and perceptions. A substantial body of evidence demonstrates that social isolation presents a major risk for premature mortality, comparable to other risk factors such as high blood pressure, smoking, or obesity. As older adults are particularly high-volume and high-frequency users of the health care system, there is an opportunity for health care professionals to identify, prevent, and mitigate the adverse health impacts of social isolation and loneliness in older adults. Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults summarizes the evidence base and explores how social isolation and loneliness affect health and quality of life in adults aged 50 and older, particularly among low income, underserved, and vulnerable populations. This report makes recommendations specifically for clinical settings of health care to identify those who suffer the resultant negative health impacts of social isolation and loneliness and target interventions to improve their social conditions. Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults considers clinical tools and methodologies, better education and training for the health care workforce, and dissemination and implementation that will be important for translating research into practice, especially as the evidence base for effective interventions continues to flourish.

Make housing for the elderly comfortable, efficient, and appropriate to their special needs! Today people are living longer lives than ever before, and elderly people need to live in settings that reflect their individual capabilities. They need safe and appropriate homes, appliances, and furnishings that they will not lose the ability to use and enjoy in the years of decline. Housing Choices and Well-Being of Older Adults: Proper Fit addresses the challenge of matching the attributes of residential settings for older adults with the competence of the people who live in them. This book views housing for the elderly as a special case in terms of the person-environment paradigm. It highlights the recurring themes that give housing for the elderly a measure of order and predictability. Care providers, consultants for retirement communities, researchers in the fields of aging and environment or gerontology, university libraries, and members of housing associations for the elderly will benefit from the timely and vital information in this book. Easy-to-understand charts and tables make the information even more accessible. Housing Choices and Well-Being of Older Adults discusses: the state of theory development in environmental gerontology housing needs of the elderly quality issues in this type of setting design and development issues kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom applications for elderly people in various states of health home safety issues and much more! and the issues surrounding continued aging and its implications for: supportive environmental, health, and psychosocial services the economic and financial concerns of aging adults housing management and community issues Use what you'll find in Housing Choices and Well-being of Older Adults to ensure that the elderly people in your life are comfortable in an environment that is safe and appropriate.