Hot Topic--Long-Term Care Housing and Service Evolution Addresses “Longevity Revolution”

There are currently 35 million Americans age 65 or older and 78 million baby boomers will turn 65 in six years. As a result, the over-85 segment of the population—nearly half of whom are nursing home residents—is projected to triple by 2050.[i] The increased elderly population does not simply reflect overall population growth; this segment is also becoming a larger proportion of the population. In 2000, one-in-eight U.S. residents was 65 or older, but Census projections anticipate one-in-five residents in that age group by 2030.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has called this age shift a “longevity revolution.”[ii] These demographic trends are amplified by concerns about the mounting costs of traditional long-term care delivery, with the estimated cost for a private room in a nursing home now averaging more than $70,000 a year.[iii]

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