U.S. Cities Seen Ill-Prepared for Boom in Senior Population

As the United States braces for a surge in the number of seniors in the years to come, most cities are not prepared to meet the needs of so many older men and women, a new report conducted by the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies and the AARP Public Policy Institute and cited by Reuters shows. America's "baby boomer" population is aging in such a way that the proportion of those aged over 80 will double by 2035. However, most Americans do not reside in communities considered "liveable" for seniors, the new report states, which draws on an index created by AARP that rates cities on the basis of such key issues as housing, ease of transportation, and access to healthcare. The research team then compared the index results with national survey findings, enabling them to see which social and economic groups generally live in which kind of communities. Jennifer Molinsky, a report co-author with the Harvard center, warns the country faces an "unprecedented" increase in the amount of time people will remain living in their homes as opposed to assisted living communities or other options. That will strain existing infrastructure and services, she added, pointing to Joint Center estimates that less than 4 percent of U.S. housing is considered accessible for older residents.