50+ Housing In The News

Ruppies In Training
Retirees are moving to urban centers in bigger numbers these days, but Kyle Ezell thinks those numbers could be even bigger if older people learned how to live downtown. This Chicago Tribune story by Mary Umberger explains how Ezell has “developed a course for suburban empty nesters and retirees that not only teaches how to pick a city retirement destination, but also the finer points of such urban needs as sensible walking shoes, the right bag for grocery shopping, how to tool around on a motor scooter, even how to hail a cab.” He’s also written a book called "Retire Downtown: The Lifestyle Destination for Active Retirees and Empty Nesters," that comes out this fall, in the hopes of turning more active adults into “ruppies”—retired urban people. Sharing these tips might be a good way to lure potential customers to your fab new downtown condos…

Freedom’s just another word for independent living
An Associated Press story notes a growing trend of people moving out of nursing homes and opting for assisted living or home care. It seems that lots of older folks don’t like the time and activity constraints placed on them by nursing home schedules. Herman Schneider, who spent three months in a nursing home recovering from depression, says that he couldn’t wait to be on his own again. “"I've been a thinking individual all my life, (so) it was an atmosphere that was totally foreign to me," he said. He now lives in an assisted living home with his wife, where they participate in group outings and go out to dinner on their own when they like. Getting in-home care may also be a cheaper alternative. The story reports that “New York State Health Department…officials hope to get a federal waiver this summer that will let up to 5,000 elderly and disabled nursing home residents on Medicaid get the same care elsewhere.” Read the full story in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

  [Return to top]