Over 55
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A different approach to `retirement' projects
Erickson Retirement Communities has opened a campus in the western suburbs and added an apartment building to its year-old campus in the northern suburbs.
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More affordable options under way in city, suburbs
If you're 55 or older and have a low-to-moderate income, you might want to know about new apartments in the area.
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Projects aim for a happy medium
Several new mid-size active adult projects are under way, a sign that it may be some time before we see another really big development like Del Webb's Sun City in far northwest suburban Huntley. The new developments have 700 to 1,000 homes, much fewer than the 5,500 at Sun City.
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Older buyers want more detached housing options
Q. Many of us don't like attached housing. So I'm wondering why builders here don't put up more zero-lot line homes?
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Pacts let residents assume risk for their own benefit
Residents' rights and building rules sometimes clash. Here's an example. A frail woman in an assisted-living building wants to push her wheelchair-bound friend to the activity room.
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City teams apartments, senior centers
The top luxury buildings for older people have lots of services, and affordable apartment buildings are trying that too.
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Retirement campus in Beverly gets a new look
The $65 million redevelopment of the Washington & Jane Smith Community on Chicago's South Side took another step this month with the groundbreaking for an apartment building.
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Home far from the cities attracts some older buyers
About a year ago, Michelle and Craig Smith sold their home in north suburban Hawthorn Woods and moved to Nacogdoches, Texas, a small town about 140 miles north of Houston.
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Humboldt Park building offers affordability
This story contains corrected material, published June 15, 2006.
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Older buyers are taking a liking to attached housing
While it may be difficult to shed the notion of your very own single-family home, many older buyers are opting for an attached house -- a town home or condominium.
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Urban centers attracting more senior residents
As high-rise condominiums mushroom in large cities, big retirement buildings with apartments for rent are being built downtown too.
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More new affordable buildings in works
With the need for affordable housing for older people on the rise, several new buildings meant for those with low incomes are under way.
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Generation gap in housing, too
Only those living in a cloister haven't heard of the crush of Baby Boomers about to hit retirement age.
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Resources for senior housing
Seniors and their families can feel overwhelmed when the need for a different housing arrangement arises.
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Builders give buyers more space
A master suite on the main living level is pretty much a given for home buyers in the 55-plus age category.
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Exposure to natural elements can improve residents' well-being
Certain environments can make you sick. Houses with mold, lead paint and other toxins are blamed for ailments from asthma to brain damage.
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Hotel-condo plan aimed at alumni
Not all second-home buyers are golfers, skiers or swimmers. Some are football fans.
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Seniors find `first suburbs' are a natural place to retire
You may not realize it, but you could be living in a NORC. NORC is short for Naturally Occurring Retirement Community. Still not clear?
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City plan calls for 4,000 units
As many as 45 affordable residential buildings for seniors are planned to be built in Chicago by 2010, under an ambitious five-year senior housing plan recently announced by the city.
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Evanston gives green light for seniors high-rise project
A $200 million residential project for seniors in downtown Evanston has been approved by the city council.
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Nursing home residents get help to return home
Bucking the odds, some longtime nursing home residents are actually moving back to their own homes.
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Medicaid changes impact some homeowners
If you have a parent racking up big monthly bills in a nursing home, money isn't the only thing running out.
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An accent on `at your service'
In a service economy, it's not surprising that service takes center stage at buildings for the older set.
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Big brother or helper? Smart homes seek to strike balance
In a rather unremarkable looking house at the edge of a Florida retirement community, a rather remarkable experiment is under way that might just change how we live in the years ahead.
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A new model for those who shun renting
Although entry fees are common at retirement communities, a growing number offer a true property ownership model.
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Changes may avert move
Like many who've been in their homes for years, Dolores Frank didn't want to move, even though her Chicago two-flat had become user-unfriendly.
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MODERN MANORS
It's not only awards season in Hollywood. This time of year home builders take a bow and show off their best work, too.
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Continuing care refunds may depend on resale
Q. I'm thinking about moving to a continuing-care community with an entrance fee. The brochure claims the entrance fee is 90 percent refundable when I leave.
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Improved security more likely in newer projects
Age-restricted projects have a lock on security.
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More affordable developments being built
Three new buildings for seniors with low incomes are under way in Chicago, west suburban Hines and south suburban Crete. The suburban buildings have apartments for those who can live independently.
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Prices expected to rise on active adult projects
Local builders and experts say new home sales in active adult projects should remain fairly steady in 2006, experiencing perhaps only a modest drop.
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New tech may hold key for elder care's future
Watch television and you'd think high-tech gadgets are meant only for the young. MP3 players, iPods and Xboxes are everywhere.
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Firms spring up to care for elderly in their homes
The number of companies offering household help has mushroomed because many frail elderly people decide to stay in their homes rather than move to a building with assistance.
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West suburbs a big draw for senior housing projects
Developers of senior housing are turning their attention to the western suburbs. About half of the Chicago area's new or planned senior housing units are there.
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Hurricane survivors find new home in senior housing
As New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin toured the country trying to persuade residents forced out by Hurricane Katrina to return, Herbert McGee already had decided to make his permanent home in a building for seniors on Chicago's South Side.
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Survey reveals housing choices
Most older people stay in their home state when they retire, but younger seniors are much more likely to move away, according to a survey.
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Conversions offer space for seniors
Senior housing to the rescue.
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Age can play a role in your mortgage equation
If you're over 55 and need a mortgage, the important thing to know is that lenders can't deny you a loan based on your age.
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College-linked housing gets `A' in growth
The ongoing trend of building retirement projects on college campuses shows no sign of a slowdown.
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Assisted-living program grows
An Illinois program to create assisted-living facilities for the low-income elderly is being expanded.
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The housing news: new and affordable
Affordable housing seems like an oxymoron nowadays. But several new projects for those age 55 and older are taking shape that make "affordable" and "housing" a compatible combination once again.
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Mobile home parks are an affordable alternative
Q. We are looking for a manufactured-home community because these houses are not as expensive as those in other developments.
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Nursing-home room costs up 17% in city, survey finds
Inflation worries are already fact in the health care sector. The same holds true for nursing home costs, which have risen 5.7 percent in the last year, according to a new survey from MetLife Inc.
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Developments don't have monopoly on activities
Active-adult projects scattered throughout the area offer the promise of lots of activities and new friendships.
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3 entry-fee projects planned in suburbs
The Chicago area continues to be among the most active markets for the construction of retirement projects.
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Avoid parting with pets: Check a building's policy
Recent scenes from New Orleans are a sharp reminder that people and their pets do not easily part. Pets are family members and, as we have all seen, not even rising waters can convince some among us to abandon our animal companions.
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Do you want age-restricted or age-targeted?
When Hank and Nancy Theisen decided to sell their longtime home in north suburban Deerfield, they knew they wanted to buy a condominium.
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Nursing home volunteers enrich residents' lives
On Fridays, 11-year-old Nicole Barker brings her cat, Cadeau, to happy hour at Mather Pavilion, an Evanston nursing home.
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Report indicates senior housing's on an even keel
Nobody's in a lather about a bubble in seniors housing, which appears to have dodged the swell of the wider market.
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As we age, kids remain key in housing decisions
When Nina M. Riggio decided to buy a new house, the decision wasn't hers alone.
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Assisted-living supply getting a boost in suburbs
Several new assisted-living projects are making their debut in the Chicago area, providing more options for elders who can no longer live alone.
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Amenities galore for full-pocketed empty-nesters
Steam rooms, leaded-glass windows, custom-milled staircases and don't forget the elevators. Even elevators are among the features in the homes being built for affluent empty-nesters.
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Assisted living gets personal help
Though assisted living facilities help residents with certain tasks, there's a limit to what staff can, or will, provide.
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Designs need to be more aging-friendly, study says
New homes in active-adult projects do not have enough features that promote ease of use and safety for residents as they age.
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Mississippi reinventing nursing home
An experiment under way in Tupelo, Miss., could radically change nursing homes.
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There's continuing care on the South Side, too
Q. Are there any places on the South Side or in the south suburbs that include independent, assisted and nursing facilities?
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One-level living can now have three levels of space
A two-story ranch sounds like an oxymoron but, as land prices rise and home buyers seek extra room, more builders are trying to satisfy the desire for one-floor living without sacrificing space.
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HOME helps low-income seniors
Margaret Haak moved last February to a recently opened building for low-income seniors in Chicago's Belmont Cragin neighborhood.
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New ideas for Boomers
If you're between the ages of 41 and 59, what kind of house do you want? Builders are feverishly trying to figure that out as Baby Boomers get ready to retire or at least move on to their next house.
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Downsizers may have sticker shock
With existing houses fetching a nice price, it could be a good time for older homeowners to downsize and pocket the gains.
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Affordable living in midst of Lakeview's affluence
A new affordable apartment building for seniors has opened in Chicago's increasingly expensive Lakeview neighborhood.
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At-home care weighs heavily on close relatives
Caregiving and housing sometimes intersect.
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CHA's rehab of 58 seniors buildings almost finished
The CHA's renovation of its 58 buildings for low-income seniors is nearing completion.
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Where you age can make a difference
Pauline Galluzzi has owned a house on Chicago's Northwest Side for 45 years. After her husband died two years ago, Galluzzi became depressed.
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Not into golf and games? Here's some alternatives
Not everyone's idea of a retirement community is golf at three and cocktails at six.
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Continuing-care services growing, study finds
Continuing-care retirement projects are expanding their services, amenities and the types of contracts offered buyers, according to a recent study by three senior housing industry groups.
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Homeowners find 2 places better than 1
In a quest for the perfect living arrangement, older homeowners sometimes exchange one house for two others.
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Rules vary on whether residents must all be 55
Q. If a couple applies to an age-restricted building, do both individuals have to be 55 or older?
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Developments make room for grandparents
Elaine De Pasquale recently bought the retirement home of her dreams.
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You can get home hospice care, paid by Medicare
News the last few weeks has made us familiar with the word "hospice." But older people and their families could benefit greatly by learning more about the type of care hospices offer.
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Blueprints are aimed at more accessible bungalow
New help is available to bungalow owners to make their homes wheelchair friendly, or simply easier to navigate.
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Two projects to add 1,900 homes to `active' market
One word aptly describes the active adult housing market: active.
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Changing housing attitudes may mean 55 is new 40
Trend-watchers say 30 is the new 21 -- the beginning of adulthood. If so, maybe 55 is the new 40, and 65 is the new 55. We could go higher, but you get the point.
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Living smaller means downsizing your stuff
Every so often, Ron Beeson visits his stuff. It's stored in a rented garage near his apartment in west suburban Bloomingdale.
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Plenty of resources to help find senior housing
A number of good resources are available to help seniors find housing. Government agencies and social service organizations offer counseling and housing referral services.
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Finding warmth in the snowbelt
Blood is thicker than weather.
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Food is tops on the menu at retirement buildings
Food can make or break a retirement building. Don't believe it? Just ask the residents, or any developer who owns and operates such a project.
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There's a building boomlet for senior rentals in city
Q. I live on Chicago's Northwest Side. Are there any rental buildings for seniors in the area?
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Buyers want basements, but they're no bargain
Forget the golf course and fancy clubhouse. The amenity some older home buyers wish for is a plain old basement.
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Complexes building to stay competitive
In an effort to lure residents amid intensifying competition, the owners of established retirement communities are giving their properties makeovers.
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Low-income seniors risk losing homeownership
Although Leona Lakes owned a house for 30 years, she no longer has a place of her own.
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Elder housing adopting a new attitude
We've finally realized what should have been obvious all along: Elders want the same kind of home as everyone else, or at least something a bit more like a house than a hospital.
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Nursing home quality improves, U.S. study says
A government and industry push to improve the quality of care at nursing homes nationwide seems to be paying off, though experts say the day has yet to arrive when a consumer can walk into any home and be assured that an elderly relative will receive good care.
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Fox Valley getting crop of senior housing projects
The southwest suburbs have more than their fair share of big residential developments meant for older people.
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Helping seniors remodel becomes a niche industry
Modifications can make it easier for older people to stay in their homes longer.
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Rural, urban seniors share in housing woes
City and country seniors apparently have something in common other than longevity: housing problems.
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Holiday visits may bring elder care issues to a head
The holidays are a time for family get-togethers. They also are the time when family members may discover an elderly relative or parent needs a new living arrangement.
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It's back to the future as old mix with the young
Bess Abrams, 90, helps children at three schools. A resident of the North Shore Retirement Hotel in Evanston, Abrams regularly volunteers at a nearby middle school and pre-school.
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Continuing care comes to Beverly, Orland Park
Seniors who live on the city's South Side or in the southern suburbs are being introduced to the concept of the continuing-care retirement community, a living arrangement more commonly found in the northern suburbs.
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Revitalized villages work as retirement communities
The top retirement spots aren't always what, or where, you might expect. They aren't always in resort destinations, or in warm climates.
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Cost for assisted-living room up 6%, study finds
It's not only houses that cost more nowadays. The average cost of a room at an assisted-living building rose about 6 percent last year, according to a new survey from the MetLife Mature Market Institute, an arm of insurance giant MetLife Inc.
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Tax, family issues arise in sale of home to a child
Q. I'm thinking about moving and selling my house to my daughter, who would make monthly payments to me.
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Retirement can bring a spa experience
Call it old age meets New Age.
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Energy prices rising, but you can get help on bills
Natural gas prices are expected to increase 15 percent this winter, according to the government's Energy Information Administration.
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Assisted living for the less well-off
Assisted-living buildings can provide a palatable alternative to seniors and their families who recoil from the idea of traditional nursing homes.
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Premiums rising on new long-term-care policies
The high cost of nursing homes and assisted-living buildings makes long-term-care insurance look like a good deal.
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Illinois trails only Calif. in new senior housing
Construction of senior housing is on the upswing, though current building levels are far below the boom times of the 1990s, according to a recent industry report.
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Targeted or restricted? A question for our age
Age-restricted or age-targeted?
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YMCA opens 2 affordable buildings on South Side
As it turns out, the YMCA isn't just a place to work out. It has apartments for seniors too.
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Co-ops offer option to condos, rentals
Five years ago, Janet Boland made the switch from living in a condominium to a cooperative meant just for seniors.
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Rental buildings may charge `community' fee
Q. Do rental buildings for seniors charge entry fees?
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Who is appropriate for assisted-living building?
Assisted-living buildings have become a popular alternative for older people who need help with some of the tasks of daily living.
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New housing for older adults spans a wide range of prices
It's always fun to look at where the most expensive homes are. As you might expect, most of the really pricey homes owned by those age 55 to 74 are in California.
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Assisted-living buildings target memory loss
Medical advances have brought us longer lives, long enough that more of us will eventually suffer from dementia or Alzheimer's Disease, debilitating mental conditions for which there are no cures.
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Not everyone finds idea of age restrictions appealing
Neil Simpkins, 50, can't imagine ever moving to a retirement community, even if it's touted, like so many are, as a place for active adults.
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Affordable rental buildings are up or on the way
Illinois seniors have a median annual household income of $27,329, compared to $46,329 for all households.
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Accreditation is positive, but no guarantee
A retirement home or development that's accredited is something like a product that carries a seal of approval.
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Seniors get relocation help from many sources
It's exciting to buy a new house, but the transition from the old one stirs up the kind of excitement most people would rather avoid.
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How would you have answered these surveys?
A handful of recent polls of seniors, or Baby Boomers on the cusp of retirement, turns up items of some note, and some data that pretty much confirm what we've suspected all along.
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Getting with the fitness routine
Fitness centers are almost a requirement at new condominium buildings and other housing developments these days.
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Buying into continuing care
While many people eventually decide to sell their houses and rent in retirement, others don't want to give up on ownership.
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Ranch house a prototype for senior living
Carmaker Henry Ford is credited with saying that his customers could get a Model T in any color they wanted -- as long as it was black.
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How you can limit pain of property tax increases
Longtime homeowners are all smiles when they see the prices their neighbors get nowadays for their homes.
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For building residents, it pays to stay connected
Maurice Lyons lives at the Georgian, a retirement building in Evanston. But living just with other seniors doesn't mean he interacts only with fellow residents.
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Seniors can find a break on homeowner's policy
Q. My homeowner's insurance premium has more than doubled. Are there breaks available for seniors?
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Home sharing offers a double benefit
Sharing is polite, but sharing your home is much more than a social courtesy. It's also a concept that's growing in popularity with seniors because it allows them to stretch their housing dollars.
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New affordable buildings coming on stream
With demand for affordable seniors housing on the rise, several new apartment buildings for those with low to moderate incomes are opening in the city and suburbs.
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Families raise funds for kin in nursing homes
It wasn't all that long ago when Regina Millington was the room mom at her kid's school, organizing a variety of fund-raising events to provide extra money to pay for parties and special programs.
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Extended-family option? Think privacy, respect
We hear a lot about the growing assortment of retirement developments. Another option isn't so glitzy, but can achieve the desired goal: Whether by choice or necessity, many seniors try living with an adult child.
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Retirement centers go high-rise, urban
Not everyone dreams of retirement in a bucolic suburban setting.
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Low housing costs are a draw for small towns
Attracted by low housing costs and the slow pace of life, retirees are moving to small towns.
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Being flexible doesn't just apply to our bodies
The flexible floor plans available nowadays give seniors a chance to customize their new homes -- and even sometimes to realize a dream.
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Try finding a home when you can't speak English
The U.S. population is growing increasingly diverse, but low-income seniors who don't speak English still find it difficult to get an apartment.
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VA pushes long-term-care homes
A big government program to build and renovate nursing homes is under way as the ranks of aged veterans quickly grows.
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Check this list of resources to find senior housing
It's hard to know where to start when seeking senior housing, but good resources are available.
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Giant continuing-care project going up
A continuing-care retirement development about twice the size of similar local projects is taking shape in Lincolnshire.
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A robot may help improve your senior homelife
The crush of aging Baby Boomers has researchers scrambling for ways to improve life at home for seniors.
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Gifts for nursing home help might violate rules
Q. My mother lives in a nursing home. I'd like to give a gift to the nurse's assistant who helps her.
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Wilson Yard project advances
Plans are advancing for a mixed-use development project on a site that includes Uptown's 5-acre Wilson Yard.
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Study finds owning home is no panacea for seniors
Homeownership may be a dream for the young, but for the elderly it's a reality. In fact, eight of 10 older households -- about 17.2 million seniors -- own their own residence, according to the 2000 U.S. Census.
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Satellite centers fan out into the neighborhoods
Every weekday morning, Anita Zapata leaves her Chicago home and takes a 15-minute bus ride to the West Town-Logan Square Senior Center, where she watches movies and works on the computer.
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Winning buildings create a sense of community
For a clue to what's hot in housing for seniors, take a look at the winners of the annual design competition sponsored by the National Association of Home Builders.
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Northwest Side passes test for elder-friendliness
Chicago's Northwest Side fares well as a place for seniors to live, according to a just released study that compares the elder-friendliness of 10 American communities.
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Accessibility finds a place in new homes
Even as the U.S. Supreme Court considers a case on whether people with disabilities can sue states for failing to make public buildings accessible, the overall trend toward increased accessibility is gradually gaining acceptance among home builders.
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City shifting its emphasis on new senior housing
An ambitious plan by the City of Chicago to put new affordable apartment buildings for seniors in every ward is making progress.
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Don't expect government to pay for long-term care
Adults are generally misinformed about who pays for long-term care at an assisted-living building or nursing home, or for visiting caretakers at home.
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Senior-building residents satisfied, study concludes
The thought of moving to a seniors-only building doesn't sit well with some people. They may not want to live with only older people.
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