A Model of Elderly Care? Supported Housing Offers Hope for the Future – Center for Retirement Research

A lot of what I’ve been writing about lately is the difficult prospects for elder care as the oldest boomers begin to reach their 80s within a decade. The challenges we will face are exacerbated by the structure of our communities based on single-family homes scattered in suburban areas. This leads to isolation of the elderly, especially when driving becomes difficult and the elderly cannot live in their own homes. It can also make it more expensive to provide services in their homes as home care workers, visiting nurses, and other providers must travel long distances to help their clients.

Fortunately, there is more. In my recent podcast on Risking Old Age in America, Lizbeth Heyer, President of 2Life Communities of Greater Boston, explains their model of supportive housing for seniors that provides affordable housing through the integration of services, enabling residents to continue living in their communities as their needs dictate. they grow.

Comprehensive Living Environment

Solving the Cost Problem

Heyer points out that Massachusetts has the highest rate of economic insecurity for the elderly because of its high costs of both housing and care. It also has the highest number of nursing home placements, relative to cost. Elderly people often have to go to nursing homes because that is the only place they can stay with services, as it is covered by MassHealth (the government’s Medicaid program).

Heyer describes the current system as a bell ringing. Solutions exist for very low-income seniors and those who can’t afford market-rate services but not for most middle-income seniors until they break even and qualify for MassHealth.

Heyer noted that there are two problems in the home care industry: labor and cost. It costs about $35 an hour to pay for private home care. Usually seniors have to buy services for four hours even if they need help for half an hour…In the 2Life community, they just pay for the help they need.

2Life Communities helps solve the staffing problem as fewer care workers can see more people. It also relieves stress on employees. Often when they provide home care, it can be the only adult they see during the week, adding to their burdens – unlike working as part of a team in the larger community.

Different from Assisted Living

Heyer separates their apartments from assisted living, where residents often don’t have a full kitchen and must go to a communal dining room for every meal, meaning they lose the agency to cook and live independently. The basic costs of assisted living are expensive and usually only cover an hour a day of care. If the resident needs more, they must pay for it themselves. Care often becomes unaffordable, resulting in residents eventually moving into a nursing home.

Each of the seven 2Life communities has resident services managers who work with individuals to make sure they get the services they need. Administrators draw on an in-depth knowledge of both the grants and services available in Massachusetts, information that senior families often find difficult to access.

Meeting Growing Demand

Unfortunately, 2Life Communities has about 8,000 people on its waiting list compared to its current 2,000 residents, but their capacity continues to grow. 2Life also advocates for increasing affordable housing in general and for policy changes that make it easier to integrate services into the senior community. Heyer emphasizes the need to greatly expand senior affordable housing services, particularly by expanding rental voucher programs and better linking Medicare and Medicaid for housing. Proposals to expand Medicare to cover home health care (as suggested by Vice President Kamala Harris last year) could ultimately save the health care system money because a lack of integrated care often results in hospitalizations after discharge and longer hospital stays.

Changing Minds

We live in a society that defines success as staying in your home as long as possible. “We have to change that narrative,” says Heyer. Choosing to grow old at home often means choosing loneliness. Choosing to go public isn’t just a better economic choice. It’s a choice…[achieve] living well in the forms of social interaction and happiness you can find… sharing your life with other people.”

For more from Harry Margolis, check out his Risking Old Age in America blog and podcast. He also answers consumer property planning questions on AskHarry.info. To stay updated on the Squared Away blog, join our free mailing list. You will receive one email each week.