Living Choices Need New Terms for Aging Baby Boomers Nursing home and assisted living are yesterday's news - at least as far as baby boomers are concerned. For that still-youth-conscious group, think "DOUERs," "PERCs" and "elder parks," says a University of Florida researcher. The first wave of boomers is approaching retirement age in large numbers. And according to Stephen Golant, a UF geography professor and national authority on housing for the aging, they have a different vision about where they want to live. Baby boomers have benefited from improved fitness and are generally healthier than previous generations. Nonetheless, Golant points out that most of the attention on seniors housing in recent years has focused on frail and vulnerable elders, and declines in their abilities to live independently. As a result, Golant focuses on developing new language to describe where older people live "that reflects the much more positive image older people have of themselves - even those with chronic health problems and physical impairments." He has coined the term DOUERs, pronounced "do-ers," for "deliberately occupied but unplanned elder residences," in order to describe the growing number of townhouses, apartment buildings, subdivisions, neighborhoods, towns, communities and even small cities that are attracting an increasing share of older Americans. Another acronym is "PERCs," which stands for "planned elder residential complexes," or active adult retirement communities with congregate housing and assisted living communities. PERCs include a diverse array of assisted living and continuing-care retirement communities, but also include upscale active adult retirement communities. According to Golant, PERCs are increasingly found outside the traditional Sunbelt, in states such as New Jersey, New York, Virginia, Illinois and South Carolina, despite their colder climates. "Elder parks" refer to large residential enclaves of older adults that are attractive and well landscaped. Not to be confused with PERCs, Golant describes elder parks as a wide variety of housing arrangements that cater to everyone from the young elderly, who are healthy and independent, to the very old and frail. According to Golant, "No one objects anymore if a subdivision with $400,000 homes is next to an office park because it is pretty and lavishly landscaped," he said. "That will be the same upbeat connotation of these elder parks." For more information, read the complete press release. back to top Seniors Housing Symposium: "Building for Boomers & Beyond" Held April 14-16 Registration is still open for "Building for Boomers & Beyond" Seniors Housing Symposium 2004, the premier educational and networking event for industry professionals who serve the burgeoning 50+ market. More than 500 builders, developers, architects, interior designers and merchandisers, land planners, sales and marketing professionals and others at will be attending this year's conference to be held April 14-16, 2004 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago in downtown Chicago. The 2004 symposium will focus on the lifestyle component of 50+ seniors housing, exploring the mindset of boomers and older seniors, their quest to live life to the fullest, and their demand for homes and communities that satisfy their diverse needs. Topics will include how to size up local market demand, increase referrals through customer satisfaction, plan public relations and special events, devise an options program, and much more. Keynote speaker Rob George, corporate director of training and development for the Ritz Carlton Leadership Center, will headline a group of distinguished speakers. A total of 19 education sessions will be offered, with separate tracks for design, finance, marketing and sales, and research and trends. This year, an entire multifamily track has been added to meet the needs of builders and developers in the expanding rental seniors market. Other highlights of Building for Boomers & Beyond include an exhibit hall where attendees can meet with product and service providers and others who serve the mature market, tours of three of the Midwest's top active adult communities and a wealth of networking opportunities. To learn more, visit the NAHB website. back to top Planning Ahead to Gain Control Over Final Years of Life The vast majority of elderly Americans want to stay in their homes as long as possible, even if they become ill or disabled. But significant psychological benefits can be gained by planning ahead, well before the onset of infirmity, according to recent study. According to Elaine Wethington, associate professor of human development and of sociology at Cornell University, "Senior citizens who plan ahead report a high degree of control over their moves and a greater sense of mastery than those who don't…Our research also shows that this sense of control is linked to feeling physically and psychologically healthier over time." The findings are from a six-year longitudinal study that began in 1997, and are detailed in the new book, "Residential Choices and Experiences of Older Adults: Pathways to Life Quality." The study is a joint project of the co-editors, Wethington, John Krout of Ithaca College's Gerontology Institute and Phyllis Moen, now at the University of Minnesota. Wethington warns of an impending national crisis as many baby boomers approach retirement with small or nonexistent family networks on which to rely and inadequate or costly assisted housing arrangements. She adds that information about how older people make decisions about changing housing is lacking. "Residential Choices" explores how older Americans make decisions about whether and when to move and how various housing decisions affect their health, well-being and quality of life. The 240-page book covers plans and adjustment to moving; role identities, social relationships, participation and integration; health and activity patterns; and coping with life events. The book concludes with detailed policy and practice recommendations. According to Wethington, "The challenge is to identify areas for improvement and to engage institutions from within communities to provide senior housing residents who have fewer resources with the kinds of social activities and resources that residents of service-rich facilities receive." For more information, read the complete press release. back to top Off-Target: Market Researchers Say Builders Haven't Yet Supplied What Aging Boomers Really Want According to William E. Becker and architect Bill Feinberg, a pair of energetic market researchers based in Teaneck, N.J., builders should make a U-turn in their thinking about soon-to-retire "nexers," a group of affluent baby boomers who refuse to humbly convalesce. They suggest that builders can open rich veins of profitable, relatively dense housing for this niche, using infill parcels near urban centers. The heart of their thesis: With a few small adjustments, age-restricted urban housing can be converted into exactly the product to suit the 30 million nexers who will buy homes in the coming years. According to Becker, baby boomers are not ready to retire; boomers have less money in the stock market and are paying debt and their children's college tuitions. Becker and Feinberg conducted recent focus groups divided by income level - either $150,000 to $200,000 a year (called "Professionals") or $50,000 to $80,000 a year (called "Middle Americans"). All participants were between 43 and 54 - still a few years shy of being considered among the "active adult" demographic. However, terms such as "active adult," irritated almost everyone in the groups, as did catchphrases such as "age restricted" and "age-limited." According to Becker, age-restricted communities offer little to this generation. "They don't like restrictions saying you can't put a pool in or put a fence up. What they're asking is, 'What is this place giving me that I don't already have in my current lifestyle?'" According to the researchers, what this generation is looking for is a "slower paced life," free of congested highways, with a small town feeling that reminds them of where they grew up. Yet they also want all of the perks of a luxury subdivision, such as pools, clubhouses, proximity to entertainment and restaurants -in a diverse community without age restrictions. The groups also have high expectations about living space - while they may no longer need a larger house, most participants wanted 2,500 square feet of floor space. They also had strong aversions to "cookie-cutter" houses. Other preferences included low maintenance, nearby convenience stores, close proximity to offspring rather than far-away resort areas and proximity to higher-education institutions. Additionally, nexers may be empty-nesters, yet they do not plan on retiring any time soon. For more information, read the complete article or contact William Becker and Bill Feinberg. back to top Demand for Maintenance-Free Living Grows Among Baby Boomers An increasing number of baby boomers are moving from their long-time homes to single-floor, gated condominium communities that boast resort-style amenities and an active lifestyle - a step between single-family and senior housing. In its annual survey of baby boomers, Del Webb found that 59 percent had plans to relocate for retirement, compared with 31 percent in 1999. Seven percent of those planning to move, or about 2.4 million retiring baby boomers, are likely to move to an active adult community. However, rather than flee to Arizona, South Florida and other traditional retirement havens, many are settling down near their family and friends. The survey revealed that 31 percent of baby boomers intend to stay within three hours of their current residences. And those interested in cultural activities, top-notch medical centers and adult education courses are flocking to Raleigh, NC, and other college towns. According to the 2001 American Housing Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Housing and Urban Development Corporation, there are already 7.7 million homes in age-targeted communities. Their residents are typically a younger and more energetic group than previous generations of seniors, but many are still working and want very little maintenance. There is a distinct change in the way these communities are marketed. They are not advertised as assisted living complexes, but as resort-style dwellings. Developers say their target customers are current homeowners looking for a different kind of house. To learn more, read the complete article. back to top | 
