The numbers don’t lie. America is getting older, and more disabled. According to the National Institute on Disability Rehabilitation and Research (NIDRR) currently 12 percent of the U.S. population is over age 65. By 2030, 20 percent of the population will be composed of seniors. Further, 52.5 percent of Americans age 65 and over have a disability and 33.4 percent have a severe disability.
Combine this with the fact that the biggest segment of the population is the 78 million baby boomers born between 1946 and 1964 and it’s pretty obvious that the future is going to see a growing aging and disabled population.
So what is defined as a disability? While there is no one accepted definition, the most widely used is: someone who has difficulty seeing, hearing, talking, walking, climbing stairs, or lifting and carrying, or who has difficulty performing activities of daily living, or has difficulty with certain social roles – doing school work for children, working at a job or around the house for adults.
A severe disability is defined as someone unable to perform one or more activities, who needs assistance from another to perform basic activities, or uses an assistive device to get around.
What does all of this mean in terms of housing, transportation, health care and finances…all of those things that contribute to our quality of life?
For one thing, it’s going to mean a need for housing that is more accessible and useable for those of us with a disability or impairment. It’s called Universal Housing and it’s something you’re going to be hearing more about. What is a “Universal” home? Basically, it’s a home that works for everyone…short, tall, healthy or ill.
No Comments
Sign In | Join Disaboom Today!
Popular Blog Posts
