By Eileen Fleming
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wwno/local-wwno-994092.mp3
New Orleans, LA – Study author Allison Plyer says the center examined demographic numbers to project housing needs in 2020. She found that in less than a decade, the most conservative scenario shows the number of elderly households increasing by 88-hundred - or 34 percent.
"It is a demographic certainty that we will have an escalating number of people over 65 in the city. People want to age in place. They're likely going to want to stay. And so if we're thinking about what kind of housing we need to be focusing on, we need to make sure that it's appropriate for people as they're getting older."
The report recommends the city help aging residents stay in their homes by planning for easy access, adjacent parking in vacant lots and promoting a universal design in some new construction.
For WWNO, I'm Eileen Fleming.