Baby Boomers will OVERLOAD Senior Housing by 2020

Aging Baby Boomers putting additional strain on senior services and senior housing If someone was born between 1946 and 1964 they’re considered members of the Baby Boomers generation. During that period, according to the United States Census Bureau, an estimated 78.3-million Americans were born. Between the years 2011 and 2029, those Baby Boomers will reach the age of 65. Currently, there are approximately 45-million Americans over that age – almost one in six Americans. Having all these Baby Boomers entering the senior years over the course of 18 years translates to a serious strain on already strained senior services. We’re not prepared. As Brandon Schwab, founder and owner of Shepherd Residential Care, puts it, “By 2020, we’ll be out of beds for seniors from coast to coast. The country, and our senior services, just aren’t prepared for the wave of Baby Boomers that are coming this way.” Schwab lives in McHenry County, IL, where the problem is already serious. There are 37,181 seniors over the age of 65 in the county but there are only nine senior residences licensed by the Illinois Department of Health in the county and only 588 beds. As Schwab put it, that’s 4,131 seniors per location and 63 seniors per available bed. The problem, as Schwab sees it, isn’t just a matter of finding beds; it’s also a matter of finding homes for seniors where they’re not stripped of their dignity. In other words, the solution needs to go beyond finding places to put people while they wait out the last years of their lives. For Schwab, the solution is to create more homes. But, in Illinois, most senior residences house large numbers of seniors – often 100 beds or more. With those kinds of numbers, he said it’s difficult for seniors not to get lost in the shuffle. Other states, such as Florida, for instance, have opted for smaller senior residences with six or seven beds. These are often established in converted single-family homes. That’s what Schwab has done with Shepherd Residential Care. The home they’ve opened in Ringwood, IL, is a 4,880-square-foot home with seven bedrooms and seven-and-a-half baths. Residents receive personal care with CNAs in the home around the clock. Shepherd Residential Care is also opening a group of homes in Florida. But, in Illinois, they’re following the model developed in Florida. In Illinois, that type of home is classified as a Shared Housing Establishment. The home Shepherd has opened in Ringwood is the first of its type in the county. As Schwab put it, we’re going to need creative solutions to ensure quality care for seniors. I think the Shared Housing Establishment model is one of those creative solutions.