Gerontology Institute Studies Elders in Housing
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The Boston Housing Authority (BHA) and the Gerontology Institute received a grant from the Boston Foundation to strengthen service supports to the 1,600 elders and their families living in family housing units operated by the BHA.
Researchers will identify characteristics and special needs of seniors living in family housing, including both physical and social needs, and determine to what extent family housing is providing a conducive environment for meeting those needs. The information gathered will focus especially on factors shaping the desire to “age in place”—to remain in current housing—and the basis for that desire. The researchers also will estimate the extent to which elders currently living in family housing are interested in moving to senior housing, where services are more readily available.
The goal of the project will be met through a sample survey of elders living in family housing, discussions with focus groups of elders currently living in family housing, and analyses of administrative and ecological data available through the BHA.