Senator Steve Saland (R,I,C Poughkeepsie) today announced his bill, S.8670, which will establish a senior housing task force to analyze senior housing options and develop a strategy to improve housing options for senior citizens as they age, has passed both the Senate and the Assembly.
Housing is among the most pressing needs of seniors in our state. According to a recent study by the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), most seniors would like to remain in their own home. Unfortunately, many seniors cannot remain in their current residence because there may be too many stairs, a lack of wheelchair accessibility, or too great a distance to their family and caregivers, not to mention rising costs. As a result, many seniors have no other option but to enter an elder care facility, such as a nursing home, assisted living facility or other independent living facility.
“Many seniors reluctantly move to nursing homes or assisted living facilities due to their inability to sustain themselves in their own homes,” said Senator Saland. “This problem is about to be compounded. With the first baby boomers soon to turn 65, our country and our State are about to experience a boom in the number of senior citizens. It is vitally important that we look for other housing options to allow seniors who may not necessarily need acute nursing care to live independently or semi-independently. We need to do a better job of planning for the future and a senior housing task force that will do an analysis and make recommendations on a regional basis is a step in the right direction.”
The bill will be sent to the Governor for his consideration.
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