More NoVA Adults 65 And Up Choose To Age In Place; Face Money, Caregiver Challenges

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — More older Northern Virginia residents are choosing to remain in the area and age in place, according to a new report from the Community Foundation of Northern Virginia. This presents challenges for the region’s leaders as its aging population continues to grow and needs help with finances, caregiving and housing.

The report was released on Thursday to coincide with the Shape of the Region Conference taking place at Northern Virginia Community College’s Ernst Cultural Center in Annandale.

As of 2020, 310,000 adults 65 and older are living in Northern Virginia, which is a 61 percent increase since 2010, according to the report. The region had the sixth-largest increase in residents 65 and older among the 50 largest metropolitan areas in the U.S.

With just 6.5 percent of older residents moving to other homes in 2017-2021 and only 3.4 percent leaving the area, the older population is showing that it wants to remain in the region.

Of those Northern Virginians moving out of their homes, the vast majority — 63 percent — move from one county to another within the region, according to an analysis of data from 2017-2021 American Community Survey

Although a number of factors are contributing to adults 65 and older choosing to remain in Northern Virginia, three factors stand out: family and friends, familiar home, and budgetary restrictions, according to the report.

Living near family and friends is often a practical choice, with many adult children managing guardianship or access to healthcare services for their parents. Family and friends provide the vast majority (75-80 percent) of personal care hours for older adults.

However, adults without children nearby may have difficulty accessing the services and support to meet their needs. For example, the Northern Virginia workforce has only 32 home health and personal care aides for every 1,000 older residents, according to the report.

A majority of Northern Virginians (93.5 percent) are living in the same home they were living in a year ago, according to the report. The average older resident in Northern Virginia has lived in their home for 20 or more years, with 31 percent living in the same home for 30 or more years.

While a desire to stay in the home they’ve resided in for years is understandable, many of these homes were designed for people without the physical limitations many older residents experience.

A housing stock that predominantly has multi-level dwellings presents a challenge for older residents wanting to age in place.

Data from the 2019 American Housing Survey estimates that 58 percent of the single family homes in the existing housing stock lack basic accessibility features, such as no-step entrances or entry-level bedrooms, according to the report.

Townhouse occupancy for older adults in Northern Virginia is 17 percent compared to the national average of 6 percent, according to the report.

By design, townhomes are predominantly multi-level structures, relying on occupants to go up and down stairs to travel between the kitchen, bedrooms, bathrooms and exits. Not surprisingly, 84 percent of would-be homebuyers in 2019 over 65 preferred single-level homes, followed by 76 percent of homebuyers nearing retirement age (55-64).

Once someone leaves the workforce and retires, their financial situation changes. Living in Northern Virginia is not cheap, especially for someone on a fixed income.

Older adults residing in Northern Virginia need between $1,700 and $3,300 a month to cover their living expenses, including housing, food, transportation, and medical costs, according to data from the Elder Index.

Only 10 percent of older Northern Virginians have a household income of more than $23,000, which means they’ll need to rely on their savings to pay for unplanned expenses. For example, an average 44 hours of in-home care a month would cost about $5,300. The monthly charge for around the clock care would be about $20,000.

The Community Foundation’s Growing Old Together offered a number of recommendations to Northern Virginia elected officials, community leaders, and healthcare professionals on how to address the needs of the region’s growing aging population. These included:

• Expanding financial reimbursements for family caregivers
• Offering in-kind support to a family or paid caregiver
• Including accessibility requirements in all new construction
• Incentivizing the development of multigenerational housing
• Provide public, universal financial planning and support services for all residents
• Help older adults retain their jobs or identify ways they can continue earning income
• Find ways to reduce premiums and expand services offered under Medicare

Read the full Growing Old Together Report from the Community Foundation of Northern Virginia.