Skip to main content

Housing and Accessibility 

Most houses and apartments are designed for young, able-bodied adults and don’t meet the needs of older residents or people with disabilities.

    In fact, in many parts of the United States, most housing units were built more than a generation ago to serve a population of family households, generally consisting of two parents and at least two children. But America circa 2020 is a nation in which the dominant household type, accounting for nearly 30 percent of all households, consists of single adults living alone. By 2030, one in five people in the U.S. will be age 65 or over. And it’s projected that by 2034, older adults will outnumber children under 18 for the first time ever. America’s housing stock doesn’t fit a rapidly changing and rapidly aging population.

    That’s where the AARP HomeFit Guide comes in. The guide examines what makes a home aging-friendly and suggests the kinds of designs and modifications that can make a home safer, more comfortable and a better "fit" for its residents — of every age.

    Get the AARP HomeFit Guide