Aging & home purchasing trends

Bad news. We are all getting old. Good news. The market is adapting to our needs.
A new series on CBC’s The Current, entitled “Demographics Dilemma,” points out that, in the next five years, a significant shift in the average age of Canada’s population will occur, with more people over 65 than Canadians under 15. The same series stresses that we will need to respond to an evolving demand for housing.
One of the most significant changes will be the need for more “visitable” homes. That is the in-vogue term for homes that are designed to be handicapped-friendly, or easier to navigate for people with limited mobility.
Mobility issues, it should be pointed out, are not just issues that involve walking or wheelchairs. Mobility issues also consider visual or aural limitations. In many seniors’ facilities, the need for better lighting, brighter & more definitive colours to mark wall corners, stair risers or doorways is driving modifications to those premises.
Concurrent with the need to design living accommodations that reflect changing needs of the owners or tenants is the need to size homes appropriately. In recent years, the movement of the forty-somethings has been to spacious homes. As the boomers’ children left home, the larger homes remained a status symbol. Now, however, seniors and pre-seniors recognize that the big house needs big cleaning & maintenance. Fifty-somethings are travelling more, staying at home less, and requiring smaller living space.
Ownership, itself, is evolving. Life leases, condominiums and fractionals have become commonplace for the frequently-absent homeowner who does not wish to be burdened with high cost and high maintenance.
But household layouts and amenities, including furnishings, have kept pace, largely, with need. Zone & task lighting layouts have maximized lighting where needed, cut costs where warranted. Stairways are more spacious and navigable, as are washrooms and hallways. Even furniture has been adapted to meet changing preferences.
The idea that we are aging is not new. The idea that we can expect that housing will change to meet are preferences is new, however. And, while aging may not be welcome, adaptability of our surroundings is.