Helping Communities Meet the Needs of Older Residents — and Their Caregivers

Examples of efforts in Alabama, Florida, North Dakota and Rhode Island

By Samantha Kanach with Melissa Stanton

At some point, most adults will find themselves providing care for another person. The same adults might someday need help caring for themselves.

The AARP Livable Communities Technical Advisors Program (often referred to as LC-TAP) and AARP state offices nationwide have been working with livability experts, local leaders and volunteers to identify barriers and provide contextual solutions for addressing livability needs, including those that support caregiving.

Encouraging 'UD' in Alabama and North Dakota

Illustration of a home with an ADU and an ADU floor plan

A site plan and interior floor plan for how an ADU can fit on a typical residential lot.

courtesy opticos design and the city of birmingham, alabama

Consistent with previous AARP surveys, the 2024 AARP Home and Community Preferences Survey found that 3 out of 4 adults want to reside in their current home for as long as possible.

Home modifications — such as grab bars in the bathroom, easy-to-reach storage solutions, zero-step entry and exit options — can reduce the risk of injuries, including from falls. These types of home features are referred to as universal design (or UD) because the spaces are safe, comfortable and useful for people of all ages and abilities. Because UD products and home features are attractively styled, the solutions are marketable to a broad audience. Older adults seeking to live safely and independently can add UD improvements to their current home or pursue relocating to a home that already contains the UD features they need.

According to a 2021 AARP survey of family caregivers, three-quarters incurred significant expenses (about $7,000 annually, or 26 percent of their income on average) due to being caregivers.

In Fargo, North Dakota, AARP North Dakota hosted a housing design competition with help from the RL Mace Universal Design Institute to encourage local design professionals to think about ways to create attainable, missing-middle-style, aging-friendly housing in in the city. (Some submissions to the contest appear in the AARP Housing Design Competition Tool Kit.)

The city government of Birmingham, Alabama, engaged with AARP Alabama to encourage the creation of accessory dwelling units featuring universal design. A conceptual site plan (pictured) was created with support from Opticos Design to demonstrate the addition of an age-friendly ADU on a typical residential lot.

Supporting the Care Economy in Rhode Island

Opening image for a video of the Housing for the Care Economy Workshop

Click the hyperlink in the text below to watch a video of Housing for the Care Economy Workshop.

Capital TV

According to a 2023 AARP survey of registered voters, one-third identified as having been a caregiver in the past. One out of five voters were caregivers at the time of the survey, and a majority of them had to balance their caregiving duties with their employment responsibilities. Half of all the respondents expected to be a caregiver in the future. On a related note, 65 percent are concerned they won’t be able to live independently. A similar number worry they will become a burden to their family.

AARP Rhode Island used LC-TAP support from Smart Growth America to raise awareness about how a lack of workforce housing impacts the ability of older residents to secure long-term care and supplemental services.

In 2024, AARP invited state and local leaders from the housing and long-term care sectors to the Housing for the Care Economy Workshop as a forum for discussing how access to quality, affordable housing could help in recruiting and retaining direct care workers. Among the ideas:

repurposing vacant land or space associated with existing long-term care facilities

reimbursing facilities that provide housing assistance

incentivizing the creation of multigenerational housing and/or community-based models

incorporating housing- and caregiving-related incentives into local zoning

providing capacity-building and guidance to organizations and homeowners

building political will to address issues

Knowing that long-term change takes time coupled with the commitment of community champions, AARP Rhode Island intends to host another workshop to keep the conversation moving.

Building Local Stakeholder Capacity in Florida

Attendees at a MOVE Roundtable hosted by AARP Florida and Mpact

Courtesy AARP Florida and Mpact

According to the 2024 AARP Home and Community Preferences survey, the majority of adults age 65-plus want to reside in their own home. Yet, according to the AARP survey of voters, 56 percent express concern over not having a family member who can care for them as they age.

^{_{Samantha Kanach, AICP, is a former consultant for AARP Livable Communities. Trained as an urban planner, she worked with the AARP Livable Communities Technical Advisors (LC-Tap) and Rural Lab programs to support AARP state offices and communities they serve. Melissa Stanton is a senior advisor and editor with AARP Livable Communities.}}

_{^{Page published March 2025}}

Related Resources

AARP Community Challenge grants provide funding for quick-action projects that build momentum for long-term change on a range of topics, including projects that support caregiving. For example, Oakwood Creative Care funded support groups and educational sessions for older adults experiencing Alzheimer’s through a 2023 grant. The program focused on research-based activities as well as coaching for family caregivers.

Kennebunk, Maine, a member of the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities, has taken a multi-pronged approach toward helping older adults remain independent as they age by providing fixed-route transportation options, zoning reform to allow accessory dwelling units, a medical equipment lending program, and improved access to locally grown food.

According to the AAA, people typically outlive their safe-driving abilities by seven to 10 years. Public transportation options can benefit these older adults as well as people who don’t drive or don’t have a car.

With the expansion of the Brightline passenger rail into Orlando, AARP Florida and transit experts from Mpact hosted the MOVE Roundtable, a 2023 gathering for transportation stakeholders and community members to think critically about the problems facing older adults.

Local momentum to enhance older adult independence and reduce the burdens on family caregivers has continued to build since the event. For example, LYNX, the local transit provider, has held workshops to break down barriers for older adults using the LYNX system.

Some of the efforts are being informed by asking people to engage in a real-use scenario, and then evaluate how the experience could be improved, especially for an older traveler. The suggested outings included selecting a restaurant, store or errand destination that’s located more than two miles away and traveling there by using LYNX.

AARP Florida reconvened and expanded the MOVE Roundtable group in 2024 and plans to do so again.

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