Skip to Content

How to serve the underserved middle-income senior housing market

February 20, 2019 Article 7 min read
Authors:
Dana Wollschlager Plante Moran Living Forward
About half of today’s older adults will have difficulties affording senior housing and care when they retire. Senior living development expert Dana Wollschlager weighs in on a few possible solutions. Read more at LeadingAge.

Senior and adult daughter worrying about affording senior living while looking out a window together

The lack of available housing options for seniors who are a part of the “middle-income” demographic is a worrisome trend capturing the attention of senior living owners and operators across the nation.

With almost 50% of today’s older adults making too much to qualify for subsidized housing but too little to afford living in a standard entrance-fee-based CCRC, future retirees will have very few affordable senior housing and care options.

In a recent article from LeadingAge, Plante Moran Living Forward’s Dana Wollschlager joins fellow industry experts in offering strategies on how life plan communities can prepare to serve this middle-income market. She recommends paying particular attention to the construction — building less expensive, smaller units; offering less common space with more flexible attributes; and building for higher density and energy efficiency can make a huge difference in cost without sacrificing quality.

To see how other industry experts weighed in, read the full article on LeadingAge’s website.

Looking for more in-depth information on how to serve the middle-income market? Check out our free 30-page report, which provides in-depth information on this market’s demand and expectations, financing considerations to build the right product for seniors’ needs, and current solutions that could work for your community too. 

Related Thinking

Elderly male senior citizen talking with a doctor.
September 19, 2023

Senior care benchmark study identifies $17 million in operating improvements

Case Study 1 min read
A family running through a field together holding hands.
August 28, 2023

Senior Living Visionaries — The Future of Senior Living

Podcast 38 min listen
Modern senior living apartment building at dusk
July 28, 2023

2023 Senior Living Industry Pulse

Article 6 min read