Dillon is eighty-two years old and lives in the home he's owned for fifty years. He is able to take care of himself for the most part, but he can no longer drive and relies on neighbors and family members to bring him groceries. It is getting more difficult for Dillon to prepare meals for himself, so now he sticks to breakfast cereal and other things he does not need to cook. His house could use some repairs. Dillon and his family agree that he is unable to keep up his house, but they do not think he needs the daily care in a nursing home. Is a nursing home Dillon's only option?

The range of housing options for older people is enormous--from staying in your own home or apartment, to home sharing, to moving to a senior housing facility or development. The questions and answers that follow begin by exploring an important financial option, home equity conversion, that may help you stay in your home, and end by describing the wide variety of housing choices that provide shelter plus some combination of recreational and social opportunities or supportive services and health care. In all these areas, older people need to be aware of the personal and financial risks and benefits involved, and, above all, their legal rights.

Subsections

1. Home Equity Conversion
2. Retirement Communities