|
|||||||
 |
|||||||
|
|||||||
|
Retirement Communities & Senior Housing |
Retirement Living News February 2005 HEADLINES
(Click
on headline to read story) Archive
of Past Issues
New Retirement Communities Experts See Major Changes Underway in Retirement Housing Market Today's diverse consumers who have reached the age of 50 are transforming the housing industry and changing the concept of active adult and traditional seniors housing communities. Experts from the National Association of Homebuilders' Seniors Housing Council reported at their recent meeting in Orlando, Fla., that active adult communities have evolved greatly over the past decade. While site-built, single-family attached and detached homes are still the preferred housing type, age-qualified multifamily condominiums have emerged as a favorite among active adults. "Builders also seem to be building small or mid-size communities and more of them in close-to-home locations," according to Bill Parks, a Scottsdale, Ariz.-based market researcher. "Almost three-quarters of the active adult communities built in 2004 were in states outside the Sun Belt. This is a trend that will continue to gain momentum." Another trend reported is that a growing number of consumers also want to live in communities closer to urban centers or that are connected to the surrounding community. "Many active adults want to be near a town center in a community with a diverse product mix of condominiums, villas and single-family detached homes," said Mark Stemen, president of K. Hovnanian Homes active adult division in Chantilly, Va. "The idea of leaving the active adult community to walk to shops and be involved in the greater community appeals to many of them." The service-enriched side of the industry, which includes independent living and assisted living, has experienced major changes. Among the hottest trends is the demand for communities in mid- to high-rise buildings in dense urban settings. "In the past, builders created communities that were far from the urban core," said Richard Rosen, a Silver Spring, Md.-based architect. "Placing seniors in green-field sites away from the city or even their former suburban neighborhoods doesn't meet the needs of today's buyers. They want to take advantage of the city's offerings as well as maintain contact with family and friends, attend their places of worship and continue to work." Other trends include communities that
embrace regional and ethnic traditions, capitalize on natural
surroundings and incorporate sustainable design. "Perhaps the
most encouraging trend is the prevalence of the universal home
design," Rosen said. "Builders are including features like
stepless entries, wider doorways and other features, not to mention
providing more space in the kitchen and bath along with
universal-design cabinets and fixtures. It appears that universal
design is becoming part of the mainstream." Sunrise Senior Living Opens First Community in Germany Sunrise Senior Living has opened its first residence in Germany. Located in the suburbs of Hamburg, Sunrise of Klein-Flottbek features assisted living and care for residents with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of memory impairment. The community, which opened at the end of January 2005, has 86 units and a capacity for 97 residents. Sunrise began its European expansion more than five years ago when it opened its first community in the United Kingdom. Following that community's success, Sunrise announced its plans for the development of up to 50 communities in the United Kingdom and Germany over the next several years. Today, Sunrise has three communities open in the United Kingdom (all located outside of London), with an additional six under construction and many others under pre-construction development. Two of the communities under construction (Banstead and Purley, both located south of London) are expected to open in the second and third quarters of 2005, respectively. Sunrise expects its second German community, Sunrise of Reinbek (located outside of Hamburg) to open in the second quarter of 2005. In addition to these two communities, Sunrise has two sites under construction (one located outside of Bonn and one located in Frankfurt), another site under contract and many sites under negotiation. Sunrise's European expansion is part of
a joint venture with an affiliate of Prudential Real Estate investors. Rhode Island to License Canadian-Based Pharmacies Canadian pharmacies that wish to sell drugs in Rhode Island can now apply for a license to do so. It is part of an effort by the state to make it easier for residents to obtain less expensive prescription drugs from that country. Rhode Island is the first state to implement a general licensing program for Canadian pharmacies. Several states have programs that make it easier for their residents to acquire less expensive drugs from Canada, either through the Internet or telephone orders. Minnesota set up a Web site to help residents with Canadian drug purchases and sent state inspectors to check out some companies. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is opposed to the practice of buying drugs from outside the country because it says it can't guarantee their safety. The
Rhode Island Public Interest Research Group, which supports drug
imports from Canada, recently released a study that found uninsured
consumers in Providence were charged 79% more than the federal
government for 12 common prescription drugs. http://ripirg.org/RI.asp?id2=15226&id3=RI& New Health Secretary Proposes Changes in Medicaid In his first speech as secretary of health and human services, Michael O. Leavitt proposed sweeping changes in Medicaid that would cut payments for prescription drugs and give states new power to reduce or reconfigure benefits for millions of low-income people. He said it should be more difficult for elderly people to qualify for Medicaid by transferring assets to their children. Many older Americans take advantage of Medicaid loopholes by giving away assets to their children. Mr. Leavitt said there is whole industry that actually helps people shift costs to the taxpayer. "Medicaid must not become an inheritance protection plan," he added. President Bush wants to join with Congress in an effort to rein in the cost of Medicaid. It has increased 63 percent in the last five years. Anticipating the proposals by the Bush administration, many governors have banded together in a bipartisan effort to stave off restrictions on federal Medicaid spending. In a letter to Congress in December, the National Governors Association said it was unacceptable to shift federal costs to the states as part of a deficit reduction strategy. One of the biggest changes Mr. Leavitt suggested was to provide a more "flexible package of benefits" to women and children in many low-income families. States already have a large degree of discretion, but the basic package of benefits required under Medicaid is more comprehensive than that of most private plans. The Medicaid package is also more extensive than the benefits required under the Children's Health Insurance Program, which is less likely to cover mental health services, vision care and dental treatments. Mr. Leavitt, a former three-term governor of Utah, laid out several options that he said could save Medicaid more than $50 billion in the coming decade. Even with these changes, he said, Medicaid spending will probably grow more than 7 percent a year. The Congressional Budget Office said
recently that under current law, with no changes, Medicaid would grow
an average of 7.8 percent a year in the coming decade, compared with
an average 7.9 percent a year in the prior decade. New Book: Looking Forward: An Optimist's Guide to Retirement For those who have already retired or those Baby Boomers who are planning their retirement, Ellen Freudenheim, a baby boomer herself, presents a vast array of exciting new retirement options to consider. Unlike many retirement books, she tends to steer clear of financial management strategies and focuses on the "fun" aspects of retirement. Looking Forward: An Optimist's Guide to Retirement looks at the world and retirement planning from a positive view. Whether you are thinking about travel, volunteering, hobbies, exploring your spiritual side, taking a course, exploring your roots or just needing a nudge in the right direction, this book is a great help. Freudenheim presents numerous quizzes, alternate resources, and Web sites for further exploration. She thinks it's a mistake to be viewing the retirement years simply from a financial perspective, as is often the case. What makes most people tick, she says, are other things, like health, relationships, and a sense of meaning and being connected. The subtitle of the book, "An Optimist's Guide to Retirement," captures the spirit of the text and of its upbeat message. In the course of her research -- interviewing over 200 older people from age 45 to 90 -- Freudenheim found both younger and older retirees happily enjoying interests and activities they'd always dreamed about and now, finally, have the time to pursue. The inspiring range of older men and women she writes about includes octogenarians getting college degrees and studying ancient Greece, as well as early retirees -- men and women in their 60s -- leaving careers in business to become artists, dancers, political activists and world travelers. You can order a copy of the book from Amazon ($10.85) by clicking here:
|
||||||
