Independent for Life

Homes and Neighborhoods for an Aging America

Edited by Henry Cisneros, Margaret Dyer-Chamberlain, and Jane Hickie

University of Texas Press

Do you want to age independently in your own home and neighborhood? Staying home, aging in place, is most people's preference, but most American housing and communities are not adapted to the needs of older people. And with the fastest population growth among people over 65, finding solutions for successful aging is important not only for individual families, but for our whole society. In Independent for Life, former HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros and a team of experts on aging, architecture, construction, health, finance, and politics assess the current state of housing and present new possibilities that realistically address the interrelated issues of housing, communities, services, and financial concerns.

Independent for Life covers a wide range of smart solutions, including remodeling current housing and building new homes for accessibility and safety, retrofitting existing neighborhoods to connect needed services and amenities, and planning new communities that work well for people of all ages. Case studies show how the proposals can be implemented. The authors offer action plans for working with policy makers at local, state, and national levels to address the larger issues of aging in place, including family financial security, real estate markets, and the limitations of public support. Lists of essential resources, including a detailed "to do" list of aging in place priorities and an individual home assessment, complete the volume.

Editors
Contents

Henry Cisneros, former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and four-term mayor of San Antonio, is Executive Chairman of CityView, a company that specializes in urban real estate, in-city housing, and metropolitan infrastructure. Cisneros is the author of several books, including Interwoven Destinies: Cities and Nation and Our Communities, Our Homes: Pathways to Housing and Homeownership in America’s Cities and States.

Margaret Dyer-Chamberlain is Senior Research Scholar and Managing Director at the Stanford Center on Longevity.

Jane Hickie is Senior Research Scholar and Director of the Politics, Scholars, and the Public Program at the Stanford Center on Longevity.

Title Page
Dedication
Table of Contents
Foreword by John W. Rowe
Preface
Acknowledgments
Section I, Introduction: Independent/Successful Longevity
1. New Visions for Aging in Place, Henry Cisneros
2. A Hopeful Future, Laura Carstensen
Section II: Demographics and Challenges
3. Changing Demographic Realities, Adele Hayutin
4. Future Social and Economic Changes, Anthony Downs
Section III:Housing and Services
5. From Home to Hospice: The Range of Housing Alternatives, Elinor Ginzler
6. Community Services, Jennie Chin Hansen and Andrew Scharlach
Section IV: Homes
7. The Home Environment and Aging, Esther Greenhouse
8. Technology Solutions, Eric Dishman
9. A Contractor’s Perspective, Greg Miedema
10. A Case Study: Interior Design for Aging in Place, M. Robbins Black
11. Multifamily Housing, Hipolito Roldan
12. A Case Study: The Freedom Home, Keith Collins
Section V: Neighborhoods
13. Healthy Communities, Lawrence D. Frank
14. How to Get Started - Local Community Action, Ron Littlefield and Robert H. McNulty
15. Retrofitting Suburbs, Ellen Dunham-Jones and June Williamson
16. Longevity and Urbanism, Scott Ball and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk
17. Neighborhood Development, Christopher B. Leinberger and Michael Glynn
Section VI: Strategies for Change
18. Vulnerable Populations, Fernando Torres-Gil and Brian Hofland
19. Housing Finance, Richard K. Green and Gary D. Painter
20. A Political Strategy, Shirley Franklin and Jane Hickie
Conclusion
Resources
Glossary