How is an aging baby boomer generation changing the design of homes?
Baby boomers, or the 75 million Americans born between 1946 and 1964, are getting older, with the first wave of boomers turning 65 in 2011. Baby boomers will have a very different sort of retirement, though. They’re more likely to work longer, start a second career, volunteer or take classes than their parents’ generation. And while previous generations headed for Florida and nursing homes, baby boomers want to stay put. In a 2000 survey conducted by the AARP (formerly the American Association of Retired Persons), 71 percent of Americans aged 45 and older said that they “strongly agreed” that they wanted to stay in their homes. This phenomenon is known as aging in place, with familiar surroundings and objects replacing the institutional walls of a nursing home. This very simple desire to stay in their own houses may change the way homes
