Blog

Proposed Senior Housing Bill

A Senior Housing Bill currently exists in Congress that would go a long way to enabling seniors to age in place and save families and the government significant funds.  The bill is titled, The Senior Accessible Housing Act.   The bill would provide incentives to individuals 60 years of age and older to “age in place” by providing a $30,000 tax credit for home modifications like the widening of doorways and the installation of ramps, handrails, grab bars and non-slip flooring.  The bill’s language includes the following: “installation of handrails, entry and exit ramps, non-slip flooring, grip bars, widening of doorways, and more”.  These modifications would allow individuals to be able to live at home more safely.
This is smart policy. With the aging population, Senior Housing is a growing issue. By facilitating modifications to homes, money would be saved in the long run by preventing falls and accidents. Falls and accidents are often major medical events for seniors and generally start a downward health spiral that becomes costly, painful and dispiriting.  The simple home adjustments go a long way toward preventing falls and accidents in the first place, thus saving medical costs and improving the overall quality of life of seniors.
Congressman Charlie Crist (D-FL-13) was the author of the bill. It was quickly co-sponsored by Congressman Bruce Poliquin (R-ME-02), and both of them presented the bill to Congress for consideration. Since then, G.K. Butterfield (D-NC-01), Dan Donovan (R-NY-11), Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM-01), among others, have gone on to co-sponsor the bill. The coalition group Homes Renewed is lobbying very strongly for the bill as it understands the impact that aging in place has for society overall.