The Future of Eldercare Housing

This type of long-term care—moving into nursing homes, funded by Medicaid or other government programs, and living out our days there—is actually coming to an end very soon, Grace predicts. State governments “are starting to take a look at and initiate new policies and procedures,” she said. “What you have are states and departments of aging looking at community-based programs.”

Those programs would be targeted at what are called naturally occurring retirement communities (NORCs). This refers to existing neighborhoods made up of older people who have remained in their homes and not moved into assisted living or other facilities. Shared programs—such as social workers, home care, and physical therapy—would be brought in to those neighborhoods to address the needs of the people who live there.

“It’s much cheaper to keep a person in their home and bring in shared service,” she said. “Will it be more effective and appropriate for everyone? Certainly not. But it’s the upcoming trend.”

How soon will this be happening? Grace says that “the delivery system of eldercare services will be changing in the next five to eight years. . . . This could be good, it might not be good.” Until it’s all ironed out, “there will be upheaval. People will fall through the cracks. And people need to be prepared for that. We will be providing resources (through it all).”