Senior Housing Community: Retrofit, Adapt, Or Rebuild?

The upcoming wave of maturing baby boomers brings with it a greater demand for senior housing. America is not prepared for the predicted surge in the upcoming number of senior citizens. There isn’t an ample supply of “age-appropriate” housing. This combined with the likelihood of baby boomer’s life expectancy to be much longer than any previous generation and the continuing reduction in federal and state resources is leading towards a housing dilemma for people 65 and older.

Some of the common housing solutions are:

• Retrofit existing homes – Lowering bathroom fixtures, lowering all cabinets and improving nighttime lighting.
• Adapt the current Naturally Occurring Retiring Communities (N.O.R.C) - an affordable alternative to purpose built senior housing.
• Build new homes designed with senior needs in mind.
• Build new senior living communities.

As you can see in the first two choices, the seniors’ needs come as an afterthought. Even after the remodel, the seniors’ needs still may not be met fully. They already have enough obstacles they will have to overcome without having the added stress of living in a place not designed for them.

The more personalized solution would be to build new homes and senior living facilities. The most effective solution is the use of modular construction. All across America, developers are choosing to build modular because of the speed in which it can be built, its strength and durability and how customizable it is. Recently developers have been designing these communities to incorporate easily traveled walkways and to be near public transportation. These modular communities can be built 40% faster than traditional construction. They are built to meet or exceed all state and federal building codes. From the floor plan to the fixtures, modular construction is tailor-made with your needs in mind.