SENIORS’ SECOND THOUGHTS
Coronavirus pandemic complicates decision on where to live, whether to stay independent
Where do we want to live in the years ahead? Older adults are asking this question anew in light of the ongoing toll of the coronavirus pandemic — disrupted lives, social isolation, mounting deaths.
Some who planned to move to senior housing are now choosing to live independently rather than communally. Others wonder whether transferring to a setting where they can get more assistance might be the right call.
These decisions, hard enough during ordinary times, are now fraught with uncertainty as the economy falters and COVID-19 deaths climb, including tens of thousands in nursing homes and assisted-living centers.
Teresa Ignacio Gonzalvo and her husband Jaime, both 68, chose to build a house rather than move to a continuing care retirement community when they relocate from Virginia Beach, Virginia, to Indianapolis later this year to be closer to their daughters.
Having heard about lockdowns around the country because of the coronavirus, Gonzalvo said, “We’ve realized we’re not ready to lose our independence.”
Alissa Ballot, 64, is planning to leave her 750-square-foot apartment in downtown Chicago and put down roots in a multigenerational cohousing community where neighbors typically share dining and recreation areas and often help one another.
“What I’ve learned during this pandemic is that personal relationships matter most to me, not place,” she said.
Kim Beckman, 64, and her husband, Mike, were ready to give up being homeowners in Victoria, Texas, and join a 55-plus community or rent in an independent living apartment building in northern Texas before COVID-19 hit.
Now, they’re considering buying an even bigger home because, “If you’re going to be in the house all the time, you might as well be comfortable,” Beckman said.
“Everyone I know is talking about this,” said Wendl Kornfeld, 71, who lives on the Upper West Side of Manhattan and has temporarily tabled the prospect of moving to a continuing care retirement community being built in the Bronx. “My husband and I are going to play it by ear. We want to see how things play out.”
In Kornfeld’s circles, people are more committed than ever to staying in their homes or apartments as long as possible — at least at the moment. Their fear: If they move to a senior living community, they might be more likely to encounter a COVID outbreak.
“All of us have heard about the huge number of deaths in senior facilities,” Kornfeld said.
But people who stay in their own homes might have trouble finding affordable help there when needed, she acknowledged.
More than 70,000 residents and staff members in nursing homes and assistedliving facilities had died of COVID-19 by midAugust, according to the latest count from the Kaiser Family Foundation. This is an undercount because fewer than half of states are reporting data for COVID-19 in assisted living. Nor is data reported for people living independently in senior housing.
Nervousness about senior living has spread as a result. In July, the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care reported the lowest occupancy rates since the research organization started tracking data 14 years ago. Occupancy dropped more in assisted living (a 3.2% decline from April through June, compared with January through March) than in independent living (a 2.4% decline). The organization doesn’t compile data on nursing homes.
In a separate NIC survey of senior housing executives in August, 74% said families had voiced concerns about moving in as