counterparts.  The overall trend, however, has been an increase in median household income in the older population from about $20,000 in 1974 to about $28,000 in 2006.  Likewise, in 2007 older men were much more likely than older women to be married.  Women 65 and over are three times as likely as men to be widowed.  Among women age 85 and over, 76 percent are widowed.

Why are these numbers pertinent to where older adults live?  Because economic conditions usually dictate housing availability and choices.  A predictable set of housing problems occur for the elderly and they appear to be directly related to the economics of aging.  In 2005, 41 percent of households with people age 65 and over had one or more of the following types of housing problems:  housing cost burden, physically inadequate housing and/or crowded housing.  If housing costs, including rent or mortgage payments plus utilities, exceeds 30 percent of income it is considered to be a housing cost burden.  The person over 65 may or may not be the primary owner or renter of the residence but simply an occupant of the household.

For purposes of this discussion the term “household” will not include any type of institutional housing:  residential care facility, assisted living or nursing home.  Household will include single family homes and apartments/condos with a person 65 or older living there.  A mixed picture emerges when we look at these households; married couples living independently, widows/widowers and never married singles living independently, adult children living in their own home and caring for an elder, adult children living in the home of the elder.  Adult children living with an elder may be there for caregiving purposes or may actually be dependent on the elder for financial, physical or emotional support.  It is a fairly common scenario for an adult child to give up their own life and career goals to care for a parent and in so doing sacrifice their earning power so that both are dependent on the elder's income.  It is also a common occurrence for elders to be living with a friend or relative who is a working caregiver trying to manage  their work life and caregiving simultaneously.  In addition, they may be raising their own family or helping to raise grandchildren.  In their younger years, most couples and singles are able to keep up a home and manage their own affairs but with advancing age and accumulated health problems, juggling multiple balls becomes more problematic.  The financial figures above are averages and don't take into account the scores of older women who subsist on their Social Security alone.  While, as a whole, elders incomes have risen, most are in a position of having their income remain stagnant while the cost of living in and maintaining a home continues to rise.  Typically those homes are older homes in need of more upkeep and maintenance than resources allow.  While most of us like to think of ourselves as “independent” if we're not in a facility, the reality is that we are all dependent on a network of goods and services that we are likely to have more difficulty navigating and paying for as we age.  There is a growing movement toward home and community based services that will become more and more important in the landscape of an aging population.  Not only are there not enough facilities and staff to care for the burgeoning elderly population 25 or 30 years hence, society cannot afford expensive institutional care where home and community based care is available and adequate to meet the needs of millions of aging adults.  Complete independence is not only over-rated; it's not even realistic in our modern society.   The main task we have in front of us is to recognize the housing and care needs that are looming in the next decades and make sure that satisfactory options are available, not only for the affluent but for all elders in need of services.