Presenter says most older adults want to stay in their homes as U.S. population ages

A presenter at the meeting said that most older adults prefer to remain in their homes and communities and urged more options and services to support aging in place.

The presenter, speaking at the start of the session, said they are a D.C. native and a longtime supporter of the work of LCE (acronym not defined in the transcript) and praised AARP’s local efforts on aging. "Roughly 3 quarters of people age 50 and older want to stay in their homes and communities," the presenter said, citing research but not naming the source.

The presenter described several barriers that can prevent people from staying where they want to be as they age, including changes in income and shifts in physical or cognitive ability. They said the overarching goal is to "create more options, more ability for people to have the places that work for them," naming homes, communities, long-term care options and other supports as priorities.

Turning to long-term demographics, the presenter framed the discussion as part of a larger social shift: "We have 10,000 people turning 65 every day," and, the presenter added, by the next decade the country is expected to have more people 65 and older than 18 for the first time in U.S. history. The presenter did not provide a citation for those figures in the remarks recorded in the transcript.

The remarks were an opening presentation of problems and goals rather than a proposal of specific policies or votes. The speaker emphasized expanding housing and care options to let people age where they prefer but did not outline next steps or identify who would be responsible for implementing changes.