There is a storm coming, and we are not prepared for it. By 2050, the number of Americans over the age of 65 will double and the number over 85 will triple. 

Since 2012, 43.1 million people age 65 and over have lived in the United States, accounting for 14 percent of the total population.

The U.S. Census Bureau projects that the population 85 years old and over could grow to almost 19 million by 2050.

This so-called silver tsunami is not necessarily a bad thing for our society, and reflects in many cases the great advances for increased longevity made in health care and general wellness. 

This is not a storm that needs to leave despair and decay in its wake but is rather a call to action, to create the opportunity desired by some 90 percent of our senior population to “age in place,” namely to spend their final years, which could be many years, in familiar surroundings.

We owe our elders, as part of our various religious traditions, moral and societal values, every due possibility to age in comfort and with positive purpose.

There will never be enough nursing homes and senior residences to properly accommodate, house and care for our growing elderly population. And as is unfortunately the case in most situations, even the best senior facility cannot compare to a person’s home.

To this end, there are numerous ways in which their homes, where they have history and the security of familiar surroundings, can be repurposed to accommodate the exigencies and needs that come with aging and markedly increased longevity. There are many approaches to effect such a situation. Attention to slippery flooring and poor lighting, along with certain changes to bathrooms and kitchens, can provide for increased safety and ease of use. Customized exterior ramps, incorporated into porch design, and interior stair lifts and elevators are other ways to enable seniors with mobility challenges to feel secure within their home and experience ease of movement and other home-based pleasures.

This matter actually begs discussion and action at an even earlier age. We find that age 55 has become the benchmark for people to consider their housing needs for the decades to follow and is reflected in the rise of select communities for the developing senior population. But even these communities often lack this kind of foresight in planning and design.

Regrettably, most of our existing housing stock was built to maximize living space, using a footprint that precludes easy living in advanced age.

What is missing in our discussions around this massive increase in aging is the tremendous cost to people and their families, emotionally and materially, when they must leave their longtime homes for a senior facility.

Moreover, the cost to society and the strain on government resources will never be able to match the staggering costs of an exponential need for and growth of quality and reliable senior care.

The good news is that we have the technology and wherewithal to effectively rebuild and repurpose our existing homes to allow for many to age in place. Professionals in the construction trades and otherwise are being trained to design the tools and means to adapt otherwise outmoded housing stock. New homes are being built using Universal Design, which incorporates unobtrusive, inconspicuous and not medically obvious ways to provide the necessary accommodations that will allow people to remain in their homes as they pass through the generations and advance in age. Remodeling packages that offer various options and different price points can be offered to fit people’s budgets.

These measures, coupled with possible partnerships with home care agencies, will cost less and keep people happier and most likely healthier as they age in place. The commonweal benefits; governments and their social service agencies will see better outcomes from their dollars dedicated to senior care.

It is a win for all concerned parties and can, with proper forethought and planning, enhance aging and show deserved care and concern, dignity and honor to our ever-aging friends and family who bless our lives with their wit and wisdom, experience and example. 

Rabbi Lawrence S. Zierler lives in South Fallsburg, NY. He has served as a pulpit rabbi, hospital chaplain and nonprofit organizational executive. He is the president/CEO of Sayva Associates, Inc., an elder-care solutions and counseling practice.