Senior living has drastically within the past fifty years. First, places to care for the elderly were not highly considered. This is because the United States of America’s population was mostly young immigrants that came to the country hoping for a better life and to find more opportunities.

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In the early 1970s, people were not expected to live for long. Death at an early age was common and many of them were living in very difficult and risky circumstances. Since only a small number of people were reaching old age, it was unnecessary to have a place for old people to live. Furthermore, children were the ones that had to provide for their parents. Starting in the 1970s, and all the way to the 1990s, having children was like a means to generate future income, due to the expectancy that a person’s child would provide them with financial support (“Senior Living History: 1776 – 1799” 2018).

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In the early 1800s, the country started to grow economically. Roads and railroads made it possible for people to transport from city to city creating more businesses and jobs. Many businesses began to develop and employers started to provide assistance for their employees. During this time, benefits and assistance for low-income elderly people started being provided and facilities such as poorhouses, old-age homes, and hospitals started to being built. (“Senior Living History: 1800 – 1899” 2018).

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It was not until the 1900s when old-age homes started being constructed. During this time, these types of homes began to gain strength. A need for medical attention, professional nurses and trained people started to increase as the number of older people was increasing. However, new diseases and economic issues began to appear which forced many healthcare benefits and opportunities to be limited.  (“Senior Living History: 1900 – 1929” 2018).

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The situation got worst in the 1930s when The Great Depression hit the U.S. Now, many people were left without jobs, making it hard for them to provide for their parents. People started moving out of the county or to other cities looking for better opportunities. With that, World War II brought many disabled people who needed full-time care and financial assistance. Years later, the U.S. government implemented lots of benefits that helped many veterans, or their surviving relatives, to be covered under a financial support system. As a result, health care insurance and senior living facilities started being considered (“Senior Living History: 1930 – 1939” 2018).

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In 1940 a number of amendments to the Social Security Act increased the assistance provided and the government paid support for home and community-based services. The act started authorizing and providing a range of services to help older Americans remain as independent and productive as possible in their own homes and communities (“Older Americans Act”, 2018).

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The new system brought in many opportunities for citizens. People’s way of life began to change in a positive way. The government started providing benefits and homes for the elderly by the 1950s. But, it was not until 1954 when the first official nursing home was constructed. The first nursing homes started as a standard form of care for old and incapacitated people. These homes along with many other healthcare facilities started to grow. Hospitals, clinics, facilities for professional education, and nursing schools also started to be constructed (“Senior Living History: 1950 – 1959” 2018).

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From the 1960s to the present nursing homes or health care facilities have been developing. The services and amenities provided by these facilities are constantly improving.  Now, old people are able to enjoy very modern facilities that not only take care of their needs but becomes like their home. Also, the U.S. has been experiencing an increase in aging. Baby boomers are the next generation to inhabit the health care facilities. According to research, the increasing number of old people creates a need for new spaces for senior living. Moving forward, America has an urgent need to start building more facilities to address this increase in elderly population (Chemielewski, 2017).

 

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Sources 

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Older Americans Act. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.ncpssm.org/documents/older-americans-policy-papers/older-americans-act/

Senior Living History: 1776-1799. (2018, April 19). Retrieved January 30, 2019, from https://www.seniorliving.org/history/1776-1799/

Senior Living History: 1800-1899. (2018, April 19). Retrieved January 30, 2019, from https://www.seniorliving.org/history/1800-1899/

Senior Living History: 1900-1929. (2018, April 19). Retrieved January 30, 2019, from https://www.seniorliving.org/history/1900-1929/

Senior Living History: 1930-1939. (2018, April 19). Retrieved January 30, 2019, from  https://www.seniorliving.org/history/1930-1939/

Senior Living History: 1930-1939. (2018, April 19). Retrieved January 30, 2019, from https://www.seniorliving.org/history/1950-1959/