Are trailer parks the sustainable answer for an aging population?
(Image from mobilehomeadvisor.com)
For those who have been following my blog it should come as no surprise that I am a fan of tiny things. Mostly tiny houses and cars but the love of tiny things is pretty wide open. I wrote previously on the community of tiny houses that is being proposed as a means of reducing the urban sprawl of massive houses while at the same time fostering the sense community lacking from an apartment building. I happened to come across a very interesting article today which was addressed this same topic but was about seniors and trailer parks. Now remove the stereotypical media portrayed image of a fat shirtless man drinking beer in between his dilapidated trailer and his rusted car on blocks and replace that image with one of new shiny manufactured homes in a well maintained and landscaped community. The article was very sobering yet interesting as it billed trailer parks as an alternative to apartment or care homes for the aging population. It can be found here
The article cites that that the destroyed real estate bubble wiped out over 50% of seniors wealth and that one in six seniors living in America lives in poverty. To add to this half of people approaching retirement have less than $10,000 in the bank and that by 2030 19% of the population will be over 65 years old. It suggests that newly built senior parks offer a much lower cost alternative as well as a community atmosphere and the ability to do things such as gardening on your own property beside your home which is impossible in an apartment or seniors home all while living in your own independent home under 800sq feet. Some communities have daily cocktail hours at club houses and therapy sessions where people can go and interact with each other on a daily basis and have a built in support network.
I really like this idea a lot as nursing homes can be up to (and over) $50,000 a year that is the cost of buying one of these homes and lots outright. I think that if this idea was expanded upon it could be an excellent alternative to being “put in a home” as I know many baby boomers fear will happen. A community such as this is small and could easily incorporate things found in a traditional nursing home. Nurses and attendants could use golf carts to drive around the community and check in on the residents a couple of times a day. Small general stores could be added (much like Centra which I covered in a previous post)so that residents have all they need without having to leave and deal with going into the city. Most importantly though it does not take away someone’s independence and pride at being removed from their home and shoved into a room in a seniors home with only a few of their possessions having room to fit. Very soon urban planners need to look at what can be done to care for and support the aging population and I feel that a solution such as this has amazing merit.