Like children on Christmas morning, eager to unwrap gifts, hoping that each leads to the ultimate holiday gift, people roam the house made famous in the movie "A Christmas Story."Released 40 years ago, "A Christmas Story" was low-budget holiday fare that followed the antics of Ralphie, a young boy holding out hope he'd get the ultimate Christmas gift — a Red Ryder BB gun.
The house featured in “A Christmas Story” was listed for sale on e-Bay when Brian Jones purchased it for more than $100,000Touring the house takes you back to your own childhood, whether you were like Ralphie, Flick or even Farkus.
Despite early success at the box office, "A Christmas Story" grew in popularity thanks to cable television. Produced for $3 million, the movie opened strong, bringing in about $2 million the weekend before Thanksgiving 1983. Shelved after a few weeks in the theater, giving way to expected blockbusters, "A Christmas Story" went on to earn approximately $19 million.But it was a marathon broadcast on TNT in 1988 that led to the birth of a cult classic that ranks among the most popular of all holiday movies. Now on TBS, the movie airs on a loop for 24 hours beginning Christmas Eve through Christmas night.That popularity easily explains why 80,000 people annually visit the Cleveland house used in the movie. The late 19th century three-story wood-frame house was perfect for the movie, set in a blue-collar Midwest neighborhood. 
Touring the house takes you back to your own childhood, whether you were like Ralphie, Flick or even Farkus. A 10-minute presentation by a guide covers interesting tidbits about the movie, such as producer/director Bob Clark and producer Rene DuPont hanging out at the Rowley Inn across the street waiting for homeowner to arrive home, so they could discuss renting the house.Then, the real fun begins as the guide lets the group of about 20 people loose to explore the house, starting with the living room. With replica furniture closely matching the movie set, you'll swear you're in the Parkers' house. From the leg lamp in the window to Mrs. Schwartz's screaming over the telephone as Mrs. Parker explains that her son taught Ralphie curse words (we all know it's his Old Man), clips of the movie run through your internal movie screen.
The Parker Family's living room with some of the iconic gifts.On the second floor, a red bar of Lifebuoy sits on a bathroom sink, sight of Ralphie's atonement for cursing. It's also the spot where his dreams are crushed by Little Orphan Annie's secret code that's really an ad for a flavored drink.
Stepping into the bedroom Ralphie shared with little brother Randy, check out the term paper that netted a C-minus, along with the infamous words, "You'll shoot your eye out."
Visitors on the tour easily lose their inhibitions, as some crawl into the space under the kitchen sink to reenact their favorite scene with Randy.For Sarabeth Sydney, 22, it was a dream come true to visit the house. She and her parents traveled from Naples, Florida, just to take the tour. The rest of their vacation in Cleveland was gravy. Sydney donned a pink bunny pajama suit and posed for photos with fellow tourists, even reenacting Ralphie's frown at the landing of the staircase.
Visit the bathroom with its Lifebuoy soap bar, as well as Little Orphan Annie decoderThe "Christmas Story" house and its owner, Brain Jones, seemed a natural fit. Growing up a fan of the movie, Jones jumped at the chance to buy the house.
"It's hilarious," he said. "It's offbeat. It's not your typical Christmas movie. It's not 'It's a Wonderful Life' or 'Miracle on 34th Street.'" There's a leg lamp; there's these hound dogs. The kids are getting beat up. It's basically a series of smaller stories all tied to Christmas, because Christmas is a big deal when you're a kid."
Growing up in a Navy family, Jones wanted to follow in his father's footsteps and become an aviator. Attending the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, he studied engineering with the intent to fly fighter jets. But, his vision veered from 20/20 (required to fly), so he became an intelligence officer during his six-year career after graduation.
A Career in Leg Lamps 
Being an intelligence officer didn't interest him, so Jones sought a career as a civilian. His parents gave him a full-size leg lamp as a gag gift. After learning his parents made the lamp because they couldn't buy it anywhere, Jones decided selling "Christmas Story" leg lamps would be his career.
Business boomed, with 500 leg lamps sold in the first year. It was in his second year — with 2,100 lamps in his inventory – the house became available.
Sarabeth Sydney of Naples, Fla., dresses as Ralphie during her family’s tour of the “Christmas Story” house in ClevelandSince starting tours in 2006, more than 1 million people have seen the house. With its popularity growing, Jones bought a second house to use as a museum and gift shop. Then he bought the house next door — the Bumpuses' house in the movie. 
Today, the gift shop, complete with a checkout counter resembling the leg lamp container, takes up an entire one-level house. Along with leg lamps of all sizes, fans can purchase memorabilia and gifts related to "A Christmas Story" as well as other holiday movies, such as "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation."
Between the museum and gift shop, you'll find one of the vintage automobiles used as the family vehicle and a firetruck in a garage. You can also reenact your own impression of one of the most iconic scenes in the movie — when Flick was triple-dog dared into sticking his tongue on a frozen flagpole. While much of the movie was filmed inside a soundstage in Canada, the flagpole scene was filmed in temperatures below zero.
With his tongue inside a small slit in PVC piping, a small hand vacuum provided suction to keep actor Scott Schwartz's tongue in the slot. A known prankster, who regularly ordered steak dinners from room service for the director, Schwartz, himself, ended up the victim of a prank. One day, knowing it was Schwartz ordering the food (he later requested he order chicken or fish once in while), Bob Clark wrapped the set for lunch. Everyone left, leaving Schwartz and his tongue at the flagpole.
Prankster Scott Schwartz, aka 'Flick' 
Left alone for only a few minutes, Schwartz still chuckles at the memory.
"Of course, it didn't stop me from pulling more pranks," Schwartz said. The actor, then 14, had his big break in "The Toy," opposite Jackie Gleason and Richard Pryor, but said "A Christmas Story" was his favorite movie.
If you want to partake in the ultimate "Christmas Story" experience, consider spending the night at the Christmas Story Loft ... The Bumpus' house can also be rented for overnight visits. 
"It was fun meeting new people, creating new friends," Schwartz said. "We're still friends to this day."
If you want to partake in the ultimate "Christmas Story" experience, consider spending the night at the Christmas Story Loft. A private third-floor apartment is home to a living room, kitchen, bathroom, queen bed, sleeper sofa and the boys' twin beds. The loft can accommodate up to six people. The house is available an hour after closing, but you need to be out for the day by 9 a.m. before tours start. Stays include tickets for a tour of the house. You may want to purchase bunny PJs for your stay.
The Bumpus' house can also be rented for overnight visits. The entire house can be rented or a suite on the first floor accommodates up to four people, while the second and third floors can host six guests.
A visit to the "A Christmas Story" house may rekindle childhood memories or bring laughter as you stroll through the house reminiscing about the holiday classic.


Through Ralphie's Eyes: 'A Christmas Story' House Tour

Tim Trudell

Belva and Erik Anderson, of Sandy Lake, Pa., kneeled before the small animal carrier and peered in. It was the first glimpse they had of Jebediah, the red fox who was orphaned when his mother was shot on a suburban lawn in Chattanooga, Tenn. Jebediah huddled against the back of the carrier, eyes wide.
When at last his carrier door was opened and he was free to disappear into the dense, lush woods, Jebediah needed encouragement to come out. There was a lot riding on his release, and I wondered if he somehow understood this.
Luke's mom, Belva Anderson, wildlife rehabber Juniper Russo and Erik Anderson, Luke's stepfather, before releasing Jebediah, the foxThree years ago, Belva's youngest son Luke Slye, 20, was discharged from the hospital where he'd been undergoing treatment for bipolar disorder. Luke had initiated this latest hospitalization, after a downward spiral during which he'd stopped taking his medication and become increasingly manic, depressed and aggressive.
When Luke was back on medication, Belva, 48, and Erik, Luke's stepfather, 54, were hopeful that he would put his difficult past behind him, find a job he liked and maybe even return to school.
Luke would do none of those things. Three weeks after his release from the hospital, he died by suicide.
Wildlife rehabilitator Juniper Russo pulled a set of elbow-length gloves out of the back of her car and closed the trunk. Her Chattanooga-based agency, For Fox Sake Wildlife Rescue, had been caring for Jebediah since spring, readying him for life in the wild.
"It's time," Juniper said to Belva. "Do you want to carry him?"          
Belva looked at Erik. Her enormous green eyes were watery and red. "You carry him," she whispered.
Erik picked up the carrier and the four of us walked into the opening of the Reflection Riding Nature Preserve. There was no sound besides our feet on the path and the rise and fall of the cricket chorus all around us.
Luke with his pet fox, LunaA Son's Struggles
Luke was a curious child who loved to take things apart and see how they were made. He had a mean sweet tooth and loved to bake, especially Snickerdoodles; when no treats were available, he made "cake" out of two slices of bread with frosting in between or he fried hotdogs and covered them in sprinkles.
Luke loved the out-of-doors; when he got older, he collected rocks, learned to camp and fish and often slept out under the stars on the family trampoline. When he was 19, he came across an orphaned fox cub in the woods near his home. He named her Luna and brought her home to care for her.
But there was a dark side to Luke. From an early age, he was hyperactive, had difficulty focusing and was easily frustrated. His moods, at first erratic, were soon alarming and uncontrollable. At 10, he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
Access to mental health care was hard to find near the Andersons' tiny Western Pennsylvania town of Sandy Lake, but they tried, and the ensuing decade saw a steady stream of psychiatrists and therapists, medications, behavior therapy programs and hospitalizations.
It was a stacking-up of disappointment that, on top of his already fragile state of mind, would prove to be too much for Luke. 
Eventually, Luke dropped out of school. At 18, he attempted to join the military, but was turned away due to mental health reasons. The following year, Luna the fox cub died. It was a stacking-up of disappointment and despair that, on top of his already fragile state of mind, would prove to be too much for Luke.          
A Spirit Animal's Gift 
In the belly of the woods, we reached a clearing where a large rock rose up out of the dense undergrowth. Erik placed Jebediah's carrier on it and Belva climbed up and crouched down beside it. With a long, last look at Erik, she unlatched the door.
Soon after Luke died, Belva found herself praying for a sign that would tell her he was at peace. One day in the spring after his death, as she approached Luke's gravesite, she saw, just a few feet away from his headstone, a small red fox. This would be the first of many more fox sightings — each a sign, a blessing, a reassurance in her mind, that Luke was no longer suffering. 
In April of 2019, Belva found the For Fox Sake Wildlife Rescue online and contacted Russo with Luke's story and an offer: she wanted to sponsor a fox in need. It would be her gift back to the spirit animal who had meant so much to her and her son.
Soon after Luke died, Belva found herself praying for a sign that would tell her he was at peace. 
Months later, after having watched Jebediah thrive and blossom through photos sent to her by Russo, Belva had another request: Could she be present when Jebediah was returned to the woods? Perhaps, she thought, it would bring some closure to what had been three years of almost unbearable grief. Perhaps there would be release in release.
In the woods, the four of us watched the carrier for signs of movement. If Jebediah was in a hurry for freedom, he didn't show it. When at last he was coaxed out, he darted a few yards away through the underbrush, a streak of red followed by a long plume of tail. But before he got far, he turned and trotted back. The four of us held our breath as Jebediah stopped directly in front of Belva and Erik, looked up at them, then turned and disappeared into the woods.
A week later, Belva told me that while the grief was still raw, she was comforted by that day in the woods watching Jebediah find his way out of the carrier and into the forest.
Riding the Wave of Grief 
When I checked in with Belva after a year, she said she thinks of Jebediah often, and that it always comforts her to think he is out there, happy and healthy and enjoying his freedom.      
Belva Anderson, mother of Luke, at the sanctuaryShe still struggles with her grief, and admittedly, always will.
"It (suicide) changes everything in your life," Belva says, adding that it changes everyone's life: siblings, aunts, uncles, grandparents, nieces, family members and dear friends.
The experience of giving back — in Belva's case, to a young, orphaned fox 700 miles away — and the symbolic gesture of release was how she chose to try to heal. That experience, as well as her decision to start a foundation in his honor — the Luke Slye Memorial Foundation, whose mission is to raise awareness about suicide — has given her some solace, made her feel she is still connected to Luke, and has allowed her — and Luke — to give back to society, to help others cope with unimaginable loss."If you struggle with a suicide loss, or any loss really," says Belva, "it's important to let yourself ride the waves of grief. Be easy on yourself. Time does not heal all wounds but with time we do learn to cope. I personally don't think you ever stop grieving for a loved one who has passed on. You allow yourself to cry, to scream or to just be. As long as you are not hurting yourself or anyone else, you grieve the way you need to. No one can tell you how. We are all different and our losses are all different."
Belva goes to the cemetery every day to visit and tend to Luke's grave. "I still have my random fox sightings, and every time, they make me cry, take my breath away, and make me smile. It's my sign to carry on, my reassurance that my son is okay, and he is waiting for me," Belva says.
If you or a family member needs help, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 800-273-8255 or text "Talk" to 741741.


A Red Fox's Freedom, A Grieving Mother's Release

Dana Shavin

(This article appeared previously on PBSNewsHour)
In Lisa Genova's bestselling novel, Still Alice, a linguist with early-onset Alzheimer’s navigates her symptoms with her husband and three adult children. Genova, who is also a neuroscientist, joined PBS NewsHour's Jeffrey Brown to discuss the disease’s symptoms and how different people react to them.
Here is an excerpt of the interview: 
Interview Transcript: 
Jeffrey Brown: How do you recognize the symptoms of someone with Alzheimer’s, someone around you? And what do you do?
Lisa Genova: Okay, well this is what everyone’s terrified of, right? Because you’ve probably within the last day or two, walked into a room and thought “Why did I come in here?” or “Where are my keys?” or “Oh, what’s his name?” So that tip of the tongue, “Oh, what’s his name?” The average 25-year-old experiences that three to four times a week and that does increase as we age. And yet with Alzheimer’s, it’s something slightly different.
So the signs are like, you can’t remember the name, and then you don’t have the first letter, you don’t have the number of syllables. It doesn’t then just pop into your head an hour while you’re driving down the street. It’s not going to come on the tip of your tongue ever. Keys, you can’t find the keys and when you do, you don’t remember what they’re for. Or you find them and they’re in the refrigerator or somewhere strange.
Most of us, when we can’t find our keys, it actually isn’t a memory problem, it’s an attention problem. You’re doing five things at once and you never actually paid attention to where you put them in the first place. So you start experiencing memory impairments that’s really drastically different from the kinds of memory impairments than the kinds we’re used to. And you recognize that.
Brown: Is there any point where you say to yourself, “Now I must go see a doctor or get tested?” What did you find?
Genova: Well for everyone, it’s different. A lot of the people that I met with early onset who were like Alice, knowing you’re lost in a place that looks familiar. This is a place I’ve been to a hundred times or a thousand times or my whole life.
And the words just drop out. Something that’s so out of the norm for you, is usually when the conversation starts to get real. And for someone young, it’s usually not a straight and narrow path to diagnosis because there are other things that can cause dementia and memory impairment and cognitive problems and you want to rule those treatable causes out first.
Brown: And what about family members seeing someone or watching someone? What did people tell you that you talked to? And what did you see yourself?
Genova: You know, surprisingly, for the people that I know with Alzheimer’s, it was usually the people themselves with Alzheimer’s that drove the decision to get an answer before other people.
Brown: Really?
Genova: I think this is such a hard thing to face. Internally, you know what’s going on better than anyone else. I know that my grandmother probably knew that she had Alzheimer’s before we did. She was just… she wasn’t a complainer. And she was tough and very intellectually agile. So she moved around her symptoms in very sort of creative ways for a long time.
I think people surrounding someone with Alzheimer’s, the people I’ve seen and had experience with, don’t push the process forward. They’re happier to retreat and be in denial or look the other way. No one wants this to happen to anyone that they love.
New Book Tackles Huntington's Disease
Brown: You’ve continued writing other works that pick up on the theme of understanding disease and what’s happening around us in our lives through fiction.
Genova: Yeah, so my training’s in neuroscience, which is kind of a bizarre thing for a novelist. So I’m using that and it’s absolutely what I care about and am passionate about. So I write stories that are accessible, about people living with neurological diseases or disorders that are ignored, feared or misunderstood.
Brown: And now what’s the latest project?
Genova: The book that’s coming out in April is called Inside the O’Briens. It’s about a blue-collar, Irish Catholic family from Charlestown, Massachusetts, dealing with Huntington’s Disease. So Huntington’s is a neurodegenerative disease. It’s 100 percent genetic, so if mom or dad have it, each kid has a fifty-fifty shot of getting it. I was 22 years old in a neuroscience lab in the Charlestown Navy Yard when the lab down the hall in February of ‘93 when all these nerdy neuroscientists start screaming and yelling and celebrating. They had just isolated the genetic mutation that causes Huntington’s Disease.
Brown: Wow.
Genova: And I remember sort of being still and getting that full-body chill and knowing that I was witnessing a historic moment in science and thinking, “My God, they’re gonna cure this disease.” Because it’s the only thing that causes it. And we’re 22 years later and there’s still no treatment and still no cure. Part of the issue is that there are only about 33,000 people in the U.S. that have this. So it’s called an orphan disease. If you’re a drug company, and you could go after Alzheimer’s, which has 5 million Americans or Huntington’s that has 30,000, what do you put your investment in? And yet only one thing that causes it. So it’s called the most curable incurable disease. So, I wrote this book in part to raise some awareness and urgency around this disease that isn’t paid attention to.
Brown: Lisa Genova, thank you very much.
Genova: Thank you.


‘Still Alice’ Author On How to Spot Signs of Dementia

Ruth Tam

When Anne Fisher moved into her childhood home in the Philadelphia suburb of Saint Davids, Pennsylvania, as an eight-year-old, she never thought about what it would be like to live there as an adult.
The Fisher family home, painted by Becky PyleAfter her father died in 2010, the large house was too much for her mother to handle. Fisher and her husband bought the home two years later, and her mother moved into the carriage house.
While I have good memories of the home my parents bought when I was three, I'm not interested in moving back. But others, like Fisher, 51, can't ignore the nostalgia they feel as they walk through a place filled with fond memories. So, long after leaving, they're buying, remodeling and settling into the house where they grew up.
Buying the house where you were raised sounds like a happy ending all on its own, but it is not always so.
Buying the house where you were raised sounds like a happy ending all on its own, but it is not always so. Homes often come with sad memories as well as happy ones and can blind some buyers to the cost of restoring an old house to the condition they remember as children. Before taking ownership of your childhood home, consider these expert tips and insights.
Discover Why You Want to Move Back
Why would someone want to unpack boxes and, in some cases, the emotional baggage they've carried around since they were children in a home they left years or even decades ago? David H. Rosmarin, Ph.D., an associate professor at Harvard Medical School and founder of the Center for Anxiety, sees moving back as an opportunity.
"Sometimes, issues that people are facing or have faced from childhood are coming back and haunting them in ways they don't realize," he says. "Going back to those memories can help us to deal with them head-on and actually move past them."
Even if the house was a gift or priced significantly lower than others in the neighborhood, Rosmarin recommends speaking up if you have doubts. Start an honest conversation with your partner before you pursue buying your old home. He points out that not everyone feels comfortable sleeping in their parents' old bedroom or living in their parents' shadow.
Determine Your Parents' Plan
Asking a parent what they want to do with their house after they move away or die can catch them off guard. But planning in advance — making sure your parent has prepared a will that clearly states who will inherit the property — can minimize arguments among siblings or other family members about who is entitled to your childhood home.
"If you don't have a will, it costs a lot more money to straighten out titles and an estate," says Craig Penfold, a real estate lawyer with Chicago Title in Dallas. "In those cases, you have to rely on the laws of the state to determine what should happen to the assets rather than the decedents."
He suggests finding out if your parents have a will. If they do, determine whether they've already designated someone to inherit the home or made other plans for it when they pass away.
Invest in an Inspection
Although you may think you know the condition of your family's house, there could be unforeseen issues you'll want to discover before, not after, you buy the property. Uncover them by hiring an inspector.
"There's a big difference between a home inspector who's going to look through things casually and one who will go in-depth," says Andy Apter, president of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry. "It can take half a day or an entire day for someone to go through a house and do a thorough report."
Potential problems, especially in older homes, include an insufficient electrical system, old plumbing and a cracked, uneven or waterlogged foundation. Also, an older home could contain lead paint and asbestos. Apter stresses that these things are expensive to remediate and should be considered when purchasing a house because of the life safety issue.
Take Emotion Out of the Decision
Before making an offer on your parents' home or beginning negotiations with your siblings or other relatives with the same goal in mind, set your feelings aside, carefully review the inspection report and, perhaps most importantly, consider the information as if you have no attachment to the house.
Apter advises viewing the purchase as a business proposition. "If you put emotion into it, then you're not going to be able to make clear decisions for yourself," he says.
"My dad was very sick for most of my life, so there were a lot of sad memories there."
When Samantha Getsinger's mother mentioned she was going to sell her Bellmawr, New Jersey, home, Getsinger, 30, said, "You have to give it to somebody in the family because this was grandma's house, and then it was yours, and we have to keep that going." Knowing that her father grew up in the house made her sentimental. She had to own the home.
Soon after buying it and settling in, Getsinger's mood changed. "I was depressed being there," she says. "My dad was very sick for most of my life, so there were a lot of sad memories there."
Along with the emotional aspect of buying her childhood home, finances were challenging for Getsinger and her husband during the pandemic. Two years after moving in, they sold the house.
Get Bids for Repairs
While the inspection report will give you a better idea of the amount of work the house requires, you'll still need to know the rehab budget. That's where a licensed contractor comes in.
A complete rehab of an older house is likely to be expensive, so it is especially important to find someone you can rely on to handle the entire job and keep it on time and on budget.
Industry groups such as the National Association of the Remodeling Industry and the National Association of Home Builders offer directories of their members. Reach out for referrals from friends and family, especially if they have recently had similar work done. Local businesses, like paint stores or lumber yards, can provide names of reliable painting contractors and carpenters. You could post your request for a contractor on NextDoor or other local social media.
In any case, take the time to check references — Apter encourages asking for names of current clients, not ones from years ago.
Calculate Maintenance and Hidden Costs
Initial repair costs are only one part of the purchase equation. The next is the amount you'll need to maintain the home — utilities, property taxes and unexpected repairs. Even if your parents leave you their house in their will, or it's part of the family trust, determine whether you can afford to live there.
After Shannon Elder's husband retired from the military, the family hoped to move back to her hometown of Littleton, Colorado, but homes were out of their price range. About the same time, her parents decided to downsize. "They offered to sell us their house at a decent price, one that we could afford," says Elder, 47.
They bought the home in 2019, knowing they had to make the basement an open living space for their three kids. "We've been saving up and making little changes here and there," she says.
"I have no intention of leaving. I would love to pass it down to one of the kids if they're in the area and if that makes sense for them."
Fisher found little ways to help her mother overcome the massive change of relocating to the carriage house. They added two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and an elevator. Then, they moved most of her furniture, drapery and other items to make the living room and bedroom look the same as they did in the main house.
The dining room was the one change she didn't make. "My parents bought this house because of the dining room," says Fisher. "I felt like I would be haunted by my dad forever."
If your childhood home evokes vivid memories, from chatter-filled family dinners to rowdy Super Bowl parties in a paneled family room, it's easy to get caught up in the dream of moving back. Living in my childhood home wouldn't be a fit for me, but Fisher couldn't imagine letting go of the legacy.
"I have no intention of leaving," she says of her forever home. "I would love to pass it down to one of the kids if they're in the area and if that makes sense for them."


Want to Buy Your Childhood Home? Be Careful.

Lisa Kanarek

In 2019, a judge ruled that a 73-year-old man with a history of mental illness and limited physical capability was incapacitated and in need of a guardian. His sister (the siblings' names are being withheld to protect their privacy) sought to fill that role, but the presiding judge thought otherwise.
10% of U.S. adults over 60 experience a form of elder abuse each year, according to a 2022 U.S. Department of Justice study.She disagreed with decisions of the court-appointed guardian, and with her lawyer found deficiencies in the annual accounting of her brother's finances. Because guardians have the authority to restrict communication with wards, as the people they care for are known, she has been unable to speak with her brother since February 2021.
It was during this period that, after 13 years of highly publicized drama, the conservatorship of the pop singer Britney Spears came to an end. Explosive testimony by Spears in that case pulled back the curtain on abusive guardianships, eliciting outcries from politicians earnestly promising to "do something." To date little progress has been made.
Elder Abuse Is Soaring
With an aging world population, instances of elder abuse are increasing at an alarming rate. A study by the U.S. Department of Justice reveals that 10% of adults over 60 in the United States experience some form of abuse each year. Shockingly, the research further suggests that only one of every 24 cases is reported.
"It's terrifying because more than half a million cases of abusive guardianships of the elderly are reported in the U.S. every year, but millions of cases go unreported."
A particularly disturbing aspect of this trend is guardianship abuse.
David Clark, a lawyer in Okemos, Michigan, said this form of abuse is "not limited to financial exploitation, but can also include physical, emotional, and/or sexual abuse and neglect."
"It's terrifying because more than half a million cases of abusive guardianships of the elderly are reported in the U.S. every year, but millions of cases go unreported," he adds.
The scope of the problem is difficult to quantify because there is no federal regulation over these cases. Responsibility for tracking toxic guardianships rests with the states, where rules vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction and courts are so under-resourced that only a handful even collect guardianship data. Whatever records there are remain at the local level.
How Guardianships Become Toxic
Generally, guardianship refers to protecting a person and conservatorship to protecting the person's finances, but no formal legal definition differentiates the terms. Here "guardianship" will be used for all of these court-appointed arrangements.
Guardianship is a well-intentioned legal entity designed to shield from harm those who are truly incapable of making and communicating informed choices. Most of the time guardians do the right thing, properly managing the daily life of debilitated wards and protecting their property and assets.
Tragedy arises when vulnerable individuals are taken advantage of by those who should be protecting them. From interviews with attorneys specializing in these types of cases, there are two typical patterns of abuse.
Good Initial Intentions Go Wrong
A guardianship may begin as appropriate but, over time, guardians may lose the ability to properly care for the ward. "It could be a result of substance abuse, mental illness — or, in cases in which the elderly person and the guardian are closer in age — even cognitive decline in the guardian himself," says Ryan D. Byers, a lawyer in Jacksonville, Illinois.
"This scenario is often hard to detect," he adds, "because when it began, there was nothing problematic about the guardianship."
A second circumstance occurs when "a family member has good intentions to help their aging relative, but doesn't realize the work, time and emotion that will be needed to carry out the guardianship," says Travis Christiansen, a lawyer in St. George, Utah. "Thus, as time goes on, the relationship becomes abusive."
Predators Purposely Take Advantage
The most common and appalling situation is "when a person (family or not) deliberately seeks out vulnerable adults in order to take advantage of them financially through guardianship," says Christiansen.
Byers agrees that many times guardianship abuse has a financial component. "Family members who do not have the desire to support themselves see an opportunity to enter into an elderly person's life and have a stable roof over their heads," he says.
Byers further points out that if the abuser is a child, grandchild or other family member who truly was dependent on the elderly person at an earlier stage in life, the ward may be unwilling to sever the relationship because of this psychological bond.
How to Prevent an Abusive Guardianship
The Catch-22 of guardianship is that once it is in place, the ward no longer has a voice in his or her own affairs. The guardian has control over everything — how the ward's money is spent, where the ward lives, even who can contact the ward. Therefore, terminating an abusive guardianship can be extremely difficult and costly.
The key is early detection. Red flags include:
Signs of physical harm begin to appear.The guardian suddenly moves into the ward's home.Property starts to go missing.Unusual financial transactions occur."Approaching the elderly person directly is something that should be done only with great caution," Byers advises, "as it can escalate abuse if the abuser learns that he is suspected."
"Approaching the elderly person directly is something that should be done only with great caution."
Every state has an Adult Protective Services agency and Area Agency on Aging. Contacting these offices can initiate an investigation in which professionals may look into allegations of abuse.
Particularly if you are a family member, with the guidance of these agencies or an attorney who specializes in these types of cases, it could be possible to petition the courts for guardianship yourself. Or to seek a restraining order that removes the abuser from the life of the elderly person.
How to Avoid Trouble
Being proactive in advance of a possible guardianship scenario is the best solution to preventing future abuse. Legal steps include creating:
—Durable power of attorney. Allows you, not a judge, to specify who you want to act as your agent. As a further safeguard, you should require that your finances be examined periodically by a third party of your choosing.
—Revocable (living) trust. With this document you give someone else the power to make financial decisions on your behalf in the event you become unable to do so. An added benefit of this type of trust is your estate avoids going through the state probate system.
—Advanced medical directive. Also called a living will, it provides instructions when you are unable to make decisions for yourself regarding your preferences for medical care should you be terminally ill, seriously injured, in a coma, in the late stages of dementia or near the end of life.
—Designation of pre-need guardianship. Allows you to select your caretaker in advance of you ever becoming incapacitated. Check to see if this legal instrument is valid in your state.
Looking Ahead
While guardianship law is state law, attention and funding from Congress are essential for systemic change. Thus far, leadership at the national level has been lacking.
Senator Bob Casey, a Democrat from Pennsylvania and chairman of the Special Committee on Aging, has introduced legislation that would establish a national Guardianship Bill of Rights. The Senate has yet to assign it to a committee for review.


Abusive Guardianships

Edd and Cynthia Staton

While scrolling through Netflix suggestions one winter evening, I noticed an odd title: "Crash Landing on You." The premise: a South Korean businesswoman, blown by fierce winds while paragliding, crashes just across the border, where a North Korean captain decides to help rather than report her.
Son Ye Jin and Hyun Bin in 'Crash Landing On You.'A rom-com set in the DMZ? I stumbled onto the show that is, for many, the gateway to Korean drama, or K-drama. I gobbled the 16-episode story like popcorn, pulled along by a thrilling plot with a graceful mix of drama and comedy. One year later, I had 22 K-dramas under my belt. Many of them, like "Crash Landing," (or "CLOY," in the lingo of drama fans), left me emotionally intoxicated.
These were stories with so much heart and great story arcs, about wisdom and growth, family connections, respect for elders, with minimal sex and violence. The characters might face pain, poverty, estrangement, injustice or a zombie pandemic. There might even be a heartbreaking ending. But in the end, you felt uplifted, wiser, hopeful.
What Makes a K-Drama? 
The term K-drama refers to a Korean television series, and they've been booming in popularity on Netflix in particular. They usually consist of 16 episodes, each lasting roughly an hour, and only one season. Most fans appreciate seeing one entire story arc in a season, with resolution at the end. A K-drama also features original soundtrack music (called OSTs) by top Korean composers and performers.
These were stories with so much heart and great story arcs
The South Korean entertainment industry, with the aid of government investment, has poured substantial resources into K-pop and K-dramas. The acting and the production values have leapt in recent years, with thoughtful, movie-worthy cinematography. "They've come up with a winning formula: the right number of hours, beautiful OSTs and a feel-good message," says Dafna Zur, associate professor in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures and scholar of Korean literature at Stanford University.
Before "CLOY," all I'd known of South Korean entertainment was the term "K-pop" and the name of its most influential band, BTS. I'd gathered it was teenybopper stuff. The global explosion of Korean pop culture is often thought of as a youth phenomenon. But, by inquiring, I learned that a sizable number of fans, like me, are older than 50.
As for me, I had grown weary of American TV series that were artistically good but left me feeling empty. Korean dramas were a balm for tough times. I found I wasn't alone.
Dr. Dafna ZurPlenty of Us "Ahjummas" and "Ahjussis" (Middle-aged Women and Men 
… as well as "halmeonis" and "harabeojis" (men and women of grandparent age.) I put up a post on the large and active Reddit K-drama group, asking for thoughts from fans who were over 50. I expected a mere handful of responses and was shocked to receive roughly 150 well-thought-out, enthusiastic comments.
Steven Ho, 52, of New York, has been watching K-dramas as a "chaser" for "heavier, cynical western dramas." They fill a void left by American streaming services. Ho also appreciates the "comfort shows that aren't too maudlin."
One young woman said that her parents, in their late 70s, have watched K-dramas since their retirement and evangelized their friends to watch. It was, she thought, a way to rebel against the trends of entertainment at the time, such as shows — "Breaking Bad," "Dexter" and "Mad Men" —fronted by anti-heroes, or never-ending serialized procedurals.
Inspiring and Universal Themes 
K-dramas appear in every genre: romance, comedy, rom-com, thriller, slice of life, drama, historic, legal, medical, sci-fi and horror. They're not preachy, but wholesome virtues predominate: the values of sacrifice for others, the healing power of love, honesty, integrity and community.
"Audiences are delighted to see how underdogs overcome challenges and come out as winners at the end." 
"I believe there is a powerful nostalgic imagination of innocence in Korean drama," said Saena Dozier, Ph.D., Korean Department head consultant at LanguageBird, a language program for secondary students. "Innocence that is less associated with nationhood and national identity but more associated with a universalistic and utopian way of existing within a collective community." 
"Another reason for Korean drama's global popularity," Dozier said, "is its narrative focus on society's underdogs. Audiences are delighted to see how underdogs overcome challenges and come out as winners at the end."
Respect for Elders, and a Woman's Outlook 
Korea, like other East Asian countries, is built around Confucian values, one of those being filial piety. As a western viewer, I was struck by the integrated role of elders in K-dramas and the respect with which they are treated. Grandparent figures are often the anchors for a troubled main character or for the community in general.
In "Navillera," a 70-year-old man pursues his lifelong dream of performing ballet, and not just as a hobby. He is as serious as his 24-year-old teacher, who aspires to the world stage. He provides much-needed moral support to his troubled teacher, and together, they help fulfill each other's dream.
In "Navillera," a 70-year-old man pursues his lifelong dream of performing ballet, and not just as a hobby.
The majority of K-drama writers are women, and this is reflected in the storytelling and the development of characters. Many viewers say they appreciate the healthier view of masculinity depicted in K-dramas. Men show tenderness and the full gamut of emotions. And it's not uncommon for the female lead to be older than the male lead.
Romances tend to be very slow burn, where the touch of a hand in episode 12 packs more voltage than a bedroom scene in episode 2 of a western drama. In thrillers, men and women, both, often literally take a bullet for each other.
Korea: The Particular to the Universal 
Many viewers develop a broader interest in Korean language and culture. Sometimes fandom is shared between generations. Lisa Craig of Mt. Juliet, Tennesee, is one of two Redditors I spoke with whose interest in Korea began with sharing their daughters' enthusiasm for super-K-pop band BTS. Craig and her daughter Chelsea are traveling together this spring to visit filming sites, eat Korean food and absorb the history and culture.
So how did a country the size of Indiana develop such an outsize global footprint in business, technology and entertainment? Dafna Zur explains that South Korea, like Japan and Israel, is a resource-poor country that relies on the ingenuity of its people to be prosperous. "They have no natural gas or oil, so the nation counts on people's creativity as well as their work ethos, on which they pride themselves."
K-drama snacksEducation is highly valued. Speaking of her students who are fans of Korean entertainment and culture, Zur said, "Our students today know what took me years to figure out: Korea holds the key to economic, political and cultural puzzles today."
It's Just Good Stuff
Above all, K-dramas are good stories, well told. Randy Burleigh, of Opelousas, Louisiana, had a long list of what he enjoys about K-dramas, among them: main characters who strive to do the moral thing, "no quick fix to everyday problems, you'll be in for the long haul to get any resolution (and what a payoff it is!), and most importantly, wholly entertaining. I know without a doubt that I will be thoroughly entertained throughout the life of the show: I will be invested in the characters, I will laugh, cry and smile with them, and be cheering by the end!"
When people face adversity in K-drama stories, the solution generally lies in the healing power of love and community. That message is a great gift from the South Korean entertainment industry to a hurting world.
Recommendations
"Crash Landing on You""My Mister""Navillera""Mr. Queen""Hometown Cha Cha Cha""Dear My Friends""Hospital Playlist"
MyDramaListThe Reddit groups r/kdrama and r/kdramarecommends


Crash Landing on Me: A Surprise Passion for Korean Drama

Barbara J. Tuttle

The last year and a half of social distancing and isolation left many older adults craving a hug from loved ones, quality time with family and friends, or visits with neighbors. But older undocumented immigrants face a unique type of loneliness that comes with uncertainty. 
Since loneliness is already considered an epidemic in the United States, with one in three older adults being lonely, the well-being of older immigrants is threatened, especially when it comes to navigating health and old age.
Beyond encouraging older immigrants to try to reach out and ask for help, families, friends or any other connections can also make the first step in helping them develop one-on-one relationships.Changing The Narrative
Immigration and older adults remain an under-reported story of aging in America. While nonprofits like Define American are working with institutions to help uplift immigration coverage, the complexity and nuances of immigration as it relates to loneliness remain overlooked. 
Approximately 10% of the undocumented population is now older than age 55.
As society grapples with an epidemic of loneliness, where about one-third of Americans over 65  now live alone — and half of those over 85 do — undocumented elders are a hidden population that struggles with feeling lonely. In addition, approximately 10% of the undocumented population is now older than age 55.
Loneliness does not just boil down to increasing social connections; it also involves what systems are in place to create those relationships. For instance, having a less complicated health care system that immigrant elders can easily navigate, particularly those who need to be more fluent in English or have no documented residency status, is required. 
One such place is Washington, DC's Community of Hope, providing quality, compassionate health care to patients regardless of their ability to pay. One of their goals is to provide a safe space for individuals without documentation and offer services on a sliding fee scale for those who can pay. 
"I did not have insurance, but with the help of my social worker, she helped me get insurance. Now I can breathe a sigh of relief and am not alone," Milena Young (not her real name), 60, says. 
The Need For Culturally Competent Healthcare
Older adults who identify with historically marginalized communities, such as people of color, documented and undocumented immigrants, and religious minorities, often feel apprehensive when health care systems ask for personal information. 
They worry that if they give their information, the government will somehow come after them for one reason or another. Improving cultural competence in health care is critical in reducing health disparities and improving psychological well-being, but it also helps increase access by reducing fear or mistrust. 
Ultimately the goal is to motivate and educate communities that might be less likely to obtain medical assistance. We need more community groups around the country to step up and help because the loneliness of navigating health care systems as an undocumented older adult is real.
Strategies For Navigating Loneliness
Getting creative regarding older undocumented immigrants navigating loneliness is no small feat. The immigrant narrative is complex and nuanced because only some have the same story. Hence strategies to navigate loneliness must always be dynamic and collaborative. 
The immigrant narrative is complex and nuanced because only some have the same story.
Since older undocumented immigrants tend to live with family, their family members are primarily their support and safe spaces, but community-based support systems are also critical. Unfortunately, few organizations provide services specifically only for undocumented older adults. 
Still, organizations like Immigrants Rising offers mental health services to all undocumented people who reside in California, Define American creates spaces that build a sense of belonging, El Concilio California has a Senior & Caregiver Legal Services Center that also addresses topics including advance health care directives, elder abuse matters and public assistance. 
Moreover, a Fresno nonprofit, Cultiva la Salud, has been providing food boxes to local, low-income undocumented women 65 years and older through the pandemic and is currently accepting donations to keep the program going. 
And it is not only specific to California. For example, Puentes de Salud (Bridges of Health) is a nonprofit that promotes the health and wellness of Philadelphia's rapidly growing Latinx immigrant population through high-quality health care, innovative educational programs, and community building. 
Research has shown that empathy-focused telephone calls can also help overcome isolation and loneliness in older adults. The Senior Loneliness Line is a confidential, free service for Oregonians 55 and older who need to talk with another person. 
Also, Meals on Wheels Central Maryland has a program, Call Connections, where homebound clients are paired with volunteers (Call Stars) for weekly phone calls that serve as check-ins and friendly conversation. Trained volunteers in empathetic conversational techniques may also be young adults, making the program intergenerational. 
The goal is to motivate and educate communities that might be less likely to obtain medical assistance. 
Before the pandemic, the Friendly Volunteer Companion program was also available, where volunteers visited with an older adult living in the community. 
Volunteers and elders were matched based on interests, compatibility, and location. Hopefully, this program will resume soon as the pandemic continues to ease. 
More solutions that may help older immigrants connect and engage with others include tapping into spiritual practices if they are people of faith. Community centers, YMCAs and support groups are also ways to deal with loneliness. 
Beyond encouraging older immigrants to try to reach out and ask for help, families, friends or any other connections can also make the first step in helping them develop one-on-one relationships.
These solutions are not exhaustive and are just the tip of the iceberg. Since inequities exist among immigrant elders, more innovative and inclusive ways are needed to help older immigrants navigate loneliness in a world that generally seems to distrust and lack understanding. 
The lives of older immigrants, both documented and undocumented, matter because everyone, regardless of immigration status, should have supportive communities and access to adequate health care to improve their overall health and well-being and ultimately reduce loneliness.


The Particular Loneliness Facing Undocumented Older Immigrants

Sophie Okolo

When you're getting into shape, you often have some support along the way. You might find a running buddy, join a spin class or hire a personal trainer. Whether you've just begun caring for a loved one or are spending more time doing so as their health declines, many experts — from peers to professionals — can help you build your caregiving muscle, ensuring strength for difficult days ahead.
No matter what level of help you need, having someone by your side who understands your situation can significantly lower your stress and ultimately make life better for your loved one.You can find expertise in support groups, peer mentors, care managers, coaches and consultants. No matter what level of help you need, having someone by your side who understands your situation can significantly lower your stress and ultimately make life better for your loved one.
"Having people who understand caregiving in your support team means you're not learning everything on your own," said Liz O'Donnell, founder of Working Daughter, which helps women balance eldercare and their careers. 
Here's a closer look at a few of your options:
Peer Support
Loneliness can take a toll on your mental and physical health. Thirty-eight percent of caregivers in a recent AARP study reported that caregiving increased loneliness. "Caregiving is just inherently isolating," said AARP national caregiving expert Amy Goyer. 
"Caregiving is just inherently isolating." 
"It's a matter of not being able to fit much of anything else in your life, and the other aspect of it is the other people who have been in our lives often don't fully understand what we're going through."
Many organizations host free support groups where caregivers meet regularly to share stories and advice. They're also a place to vent with people who understand all too well what you're going through. Often, they have a specific focus, run by organizations such as the Alzheimer's Association, CancerCare or the ALS Association.
The Benefits of Support Groups 
In addition to in-person options, there are convenient virtual ones via platforms like Zoom and online communities available 24/7. The AARP Family Caregivers Facebook Discussion Group that Goyer moderates has 17,000 members who share their experiences and ask and answer questions ranging from whether to tell someone with dementia about a relative's death to what benefits are available to help defray costs. 
"I learned precious tips – just how to talk to somebody when they're distressed and lower your voice, get down to their level eye to eye, put your hand on their knee." 
O'Donnell's Working Daughter Facebook group focuses on women and men balancing caring for aging parents with their careers and the rest of their lives. During in-person or Zoom gatherings, moderators often enforce ground rules to establish a respectful environment and ensure everyone has an opportunity to speak, so quieter members don't get overlooked. 
In a good support group, there's no pressure to share more than you're comfortable with. "Some people say, 'I'm not a support group kind of person,'" Goyer said. "But many support groups stress the education aspect. You go there and learn and get resources and get help."
After Lisa Warren's husband Bill was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, the couple, who lives in Orlando, Florida, joined a group designed for couples where one spouse was in the early stages of the condition. They learned valuable information and forged close friendships, gathering for lunches outside the regular meetings. 
As Bill's condition worsened, Lisa moved on to meetings for caregivers. "I learned precious tips – just how to talk to somebody when they're distressed and lower your voice, get down to their level eye to eye, put your hand on their knee," said Warren. "I've gotten so much out of support groups, and now, since I've been on this journey so long, I tend to be the one to offer advice and suggestions."
Faith communities, hospitals, disease associations, assisted living facilities and social service agencies are among the places that host support groups. Area Agencies on Aging can also help you find groups in your area.
Some organizations, including the VA Caregiver Support Program and the American Brain Tumor Association, offer one-on-one, peer-to-peer mentoring with current or former caregivers. Duet: Partners in Health and Aging, an Arizona-based nonprofit, connects caregivers nationwide with mentors who check in via weekly phone calls.
Caregiver Coaches and Consultants
For fees that vary widely — from as low as $40 an hour to over $100 — a coach or consultant can help you devise effective caregiver strategies. Topics covered in sessions include setting priorities, negotiating flexibility at work and dealing with difficult emotions.
Sascha Proudlove of Mountain Lake, New Jersey, started coaching sessions with O'Donnell after she began caregiving for her stepfather, who is in the early stages of dementia. "You get the advantage of the wisdom and the experience," said Proudlove, who gained valuable insights about managing her stepfather's care and "an incredible sounding board."
Coaches and consultants are often current or former caregivers themselves. Some undergo training and certification through various programs, including coaching organizations, the Society of Certified Senior Advisors or the Caregiving Years Training Academy, which has multiple designations, including Certified Caregiving Consultant.
When looking for a coach or consultant, "I recommend that a person look for someone who has had a similar life experience," said Caregiving Years Training Academy founder and owner Denise Brown, who also hosts an online community, Caring Our Way. "Then you'll both start from a place of knowing."
Many coaches and consultants will provide a free consultation to help you see whether they are the right fit. Like the fees, the frequency of sessions varies widely. Some clients have just a few throughout their caregiving journey. Others may meet every couple of months.
Geriatric Care Managers
These trained professionals work directly with older or ill people and their families to enhance their quality of life. Often, care managers are nurses or social workers focusing on aging and elder care; others may have a background in fields like physical or occupational therapy or health care administration.
"It's helped me increasingly to trust myself and feel confident I'm working with trusted advisers, and I'm not operating with knee-jerk reactions in a vacuum."
They are advocates for their clients, guiding families through health care and legal systems. They meet regularly with patients to monitor progress and can accompany them to doctor's appointments or set up meetings with assisted living or skilled nursing facilities to discuss care plans. 
They can help find resources like medication discount programs or mobile medical clinics. Their services include overseeing bill paying, coordinating government assistance, insurance and other benefits, helping families find senior housing and arranging respite care. These services often cost anywhere from $100 to $300 per hour — not including an initial assessment — depending on experience and location. 
Sometimes, care managers will work with families to offer pricing flexibility. But managers note that caregivers, especially those working or raising families, should consider the costs of their own time and lack of expertise in areas like qualifying for benefits or ensuring quality care in skilled nursing facilities.
"How much of your time are you taking off work and possibly not getting paid for it to navigate something you don't have a lot of knowledge in?" said Anne Sansevero, a New York care manager and president of the Aging Life Care Association, a nonprofit group representing care managers. Also, she noted, "sometimes care managers can save clients money in the long run" by helping them qualify for benefits.
The Aging Life Care Association has a nationwide directory of members, listing their levels of experience and expertise. Despite the name, these professionals also help younger people who have brain injuries, mental health problems or severe or chronic illnesses of any type.
Proudlove has enlisted the services of a care manager, as well as a coach, to help coordinate care for her stepfather, who lives in another state. Between the coaching and the care manager, she said, "It's helped me increasingly to trust myself and feel confident I'm working with trusted advisers, and I'm not operating with knee-jerk reactions in a vacuum."
Your caregiving support system could include clergy, social workers, volunteers, counselors and home and respite care providers. Brown suggests you assemble your team before you need it.
"Oftentimes when everything is great, we say, it's so easy," she said. "We neglect to spend time on our best day building support so that when we're really stressed out, we don't have to think about how to join a support group. We can connect to the relationships we know are good for us if we've done some research on our good days."


Building Your Caregiving Support Team

Sandra Pedicini

Long-term care costs, social isolation, dementia and financial insecurity are all notable problems facing many older Americans. But perhaps their biggest challenge of all is housing.
A small and growing number of communities — especially on the West Coast — are now allowing Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) to help counter high housing costs.As more than two dozen experts explained at "Raising the Roof: America's Housing Crisis and Our Longer Lives," the Columbia University Age Boom Academy program for journalists (where I served as a panel moderator and mentor), a tormenting triad has created an untenable situation.
Call these problems the 3 A's: affordability, accessibility and the ability to remain in your own home.
Better Housing, Better Health
"Our society is at a critical juncture in planning for an aging population while confronting one of the worst housing crises in our lifetimes," said Dr. Linda Fried, director of the Age Boom Academy and dean of the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.
Caitlin Hawke, Age Boom's project lead, said the 2023 version of the academy focused on housing as a determinant for health in aging. "The more we learned, the more we realized what a dearth of affordable options there are for older people to remain in their communities as they age," she noted.
"Our society is at a critical juncture in planning for an aging population while confronting one of the worst housing crises in our lifetimes."
Fortunately, the Age Boom panelists said, a few novel programs and housing communities — from nonprofits, real estate developers and the federal government — are helping address housing problems facing older Americans.
Here's a look at the key housing challenges and what's being done to reduce them:
Affordability
"The precarious state that many older people live in could be addressed by getting a handle on the cost of housing," said gerontologist Jan Mutchler, creator of The Elder Index measure of what it costs older adults to stay in their homes and remain independent.
Roughly one-third of people aged 50 and over pay more than 30% of their incomes for housing — making them "rent burdened" according to the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
"The story of homelessness is a story of affordable housing."
The high cost of houses and apartments in many places is a leading reason why older adults are now the fastest growing group of homeless Americans, according to the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University.
Elder homelessness rates haven't been this high since the Great Depression. One in three people experiencing chronic homelessness in 2020 were 55 or older, according to HUD. Chronic homelessness means living without a home for at least 12 months or having four episodes of homelessness adding up to 12 months over three years.
"The story of homelessness is a story of affordable housing," said Mutchler.
Jonathan Rose, whose Jonathan Rose Companies builds and buys affordable, green housing, noted that only 50,000 new units of affordable housing are built in the U.S. annually. They exist due to small federal subsidies Congress has authorized.
The Overlooked Lower Middle Class
"Affordable housing can only be built with subsidies," said Rose. "As much as I hope that we'll develop the financial resources to solve these issues [of affordability], looking at Congress today, I don't think it's going to be likely."
Dr. Jack Rowe, a faculty member at the Robert N. Butler Columbia Aging Center, said at Age Boom that he's especially concerned about housing affordability for the older Americans he calls "the forgotten middle" — the lower half of the middle class. They are not eligible for low-income housing and often can't afford market-rate rents or home ownership. "They're faring much less well than their predecessors 20 years ago," said Rowe.
The demand by older adults for affordable housing is enormous.
Wayne Ho, president and CEO of the Chinese-American Planning Council, said that when his group opened a senior affordable housing building in New York City's Chinatown last year, it received 22,000 applications for 110 units.
Big Idea: Small Houses
Two reasons affordable housing is in such short supply: builders see bigger profits by going upscale and local zoning ordinances often prohibit low-income construction.
"The problem with housing is that in many communities, there really aren't affordable and reasonable downsizing options that would let people stay in their community," said Mutchler.
But a small and growing number of communities — especially on the West Coast — are now allowing Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) to help counter high housing costs. ADUs are typically small houses built in the backyard of existing houses, though they can be modified apartments and townhouses.
"In many communities, there really aren't affordable and reasonable downsizing options."
At Age Boom, Rodney Harrell, vice president for family, home and community at the AARP Public Policy Institute, called ADUs the "Swiss army knife of housing" because they are affordable and often one-story, so residents needn't worry about climbing stairs.
A Joint Center for Housing Studies report noted that before statewide ADU legislation passed in California in 2016, localities there issued about 1,200 ADU permits annually. In 2022, that number rose to over 24,000.
The Biden administration's 2022 Housing Supply Action Plan called for more ADUs nationwide, especially for low- and moderate-income people, with pilot programs for federal ADU loans.
Accessibility
Fewer than 4% of U.S. homes are fully accessible and adhere to the principles of universal design, Federal Housing Administration (FHA) Commissioner Julia Gordon said at the recent Stanford Center on Longevity 2023 Century Summit.
The U.S. Census Bureau says in 28% of households with an adult aged 65 and over are in houses that are difficult for older adults to use. For example they may have trouble climbing stairs, getting into the bathtub or using the kitchen.
"When we go into homes and do major repair work, we see measurable improvements to the health of the older adult resident."
As a result, even though surveys show most people want to age in place, their homes won't let them — at least not without costly renovations, if they are even possible.
Making homes accessible not only keeps older residents safe, it often has other benefits.
"When we go into homes and do major repair work, we see measurable improvements to the health of the older adult resident," said Tawkiyah Jordan, vice president for housing and community strategy at Habitat for Humanity International, at Age Boom. "We also hear from them self-reported improvements in their sense of well-being, and a significant decrease in depression."
Ability to Remain in Your Own Home
Now that pandemic moratoriums on evictions and foreclosures have been lifted, experts at Age Boom said, there are growing fears of older adults being forced out of their homes by predatory landlords and lenders.
Roughly 200,000 renters over age 65 receive an eviction filing every year; about half of them are later evicted, Nick Graetz, a research associate at The Eviction Lab at Princeton University, said at Age Boom.
"There is $1.1 billion of wealth at stake to be lost due to 'tangled title' issues, the majority of which is Black wealth."
One especially pernicious problem pushing older people out of their homes is known as "a tangled title." That is when someone loses ownership or cannot transfer the home to the next generation because they lack the proper title to it.
"The Pew Charitable Trusts did an interesting study out of Philadelphia that noted there's $1.1 billion of wealth at stake to be lost due to tangled title issues, the majority of which is Black wealth," Lily Hoffman, Habitat for Humanity International associate director of programs, said at Age Boom.
The Economic Hardship Reporting Project's new book of essays about financial precarity, "Going for Broke: Living on the Edge in the World's Richest Country," has a sad story about a woman whose tangled title caused her to lose her Detroit home.
"People often assume it's young people who are struggling to make ends meet," said Alissa Quart, the project's executive director and book's co-editor. "It turns out, a lot of our grant recipients experiencing financial hardship are older."
What Works to Fix These Concerns
Age Boom panelists described six novel ways affordable or accessible housing is being created around the nation:
Bridge Meadows: Oregon's three Bridge Meadows multigenerational, affordable housing developments feature universal design and on-site mental health specialists. They're comprised of apartments with low-income renters who are 55+ and townhouses for families adopting or fostering youth. "You might not recognize that it's affordable housing," said Derenda Schubert, the nonprofit's executive director.
CAPABLE: This Johns Hopkins School of Nursing program (full name: Community Aging in Place-Advancing Better Living for Elders) brings together an occupational therapist, a registered nurse and a handy worker to make a low-income older adult's home safer and keep them healthier. It has also reduced their need for hospitalization and nursing home stays. CAPABLE is now in 23 states.
Colma Veterans Village: Working with the Veterans Administration and low-income housing developer Mercy Housing, geriatrician Dr. Anne Fabiny created this apartment complex in Colma, California, with health care for chronically homeless, frail and medically or psychosocially complex older veterans. Residents — primarily Vietnam vets — pay no more than 30% of their income for housing. The 65-unit complex has primary and mental health care teams on site as well as occupational and recreational therapy. The Veterans Administration is extending the Colma model nationwide.
Habitat for Humanity: Although this nonprofit is best known for building houses, it also repairs and restores them to help inhabitants age in place. Through rezoning, Habitat for Humanity is rebuilding some older adults' homes in Tacoma, Washington. to create a multigenerational, affordable housing development with shared living spaces.
Section 202 Housing: HUD's Supportive Housing for the Elderly program, which is based on Section 202 of the Housing Act of 1959, provides loans to build, buy or rehab apartments for people aged 62 or older earning less than 50% of the area median income. Its rent subsidies help make the apartments affordable. "Section 202 was dormant for several years and then revived," Linda Couch, vice president, housing and aging services policy at the LeadingAge nonprofit, said at Age Boom. "It's HUD's flagship older-adult housing program and brings consistent, stable affordability to tenants."
The Gale Eckington Project: After Amazon committed to preserve housing affordability in Washington, D.C., for its employees there, the Jonathan Rose Companies bought the 603-unit Gale Eckington apartment building with a low-cost loan from the powerhouse retailer. Half its units will be rented to residents earning 80% or less of the local median income. "We were able to create 300 new units of affordable housing simply by changing the regulatory environment on a very nice building," said Rose.


New Solutions to Older Adults’ Housing Challenges

Richard Eisenberg

During a graduate course I taught this fall for Virginia Tech, I presented a basic reality of the legislative process in Washington, D.C.: it often goes from the perfect to the possible to the passable. The new COVID-19 relief law is a perfect illustration, especially for older Americans.
In October 2020, the House of Representatives passed a bill which would have provided about $2.2 trillion in emergency aid. For aging services programs, it constituted "the perfect," with $1.175 billion allocated to elder justice programs, housing assistance, government nutrition benefits, nursing home strike teams and more.
Last month, a bipartisan group of senators unveiled their $908 billion proposal — "the possible." The final COVID-19 relief law ($935 billion), eventually signed by President Trump, became "the passable."
That final legislation turned out to be a mixed bag for aging services programs. On the positive side: landmark funding to curb elder abuse. The biggest shortcoming: adequate funding for aging services programs in the package and for programs left out of it.
The Good News in the COVID-19 Relief Law
Let's start with the good news. There was $100 million in emergency funding for elder justice programs, including the biggest amount of federal money ever to support state Adult Protective Services (APS) programs focused on preventing elder abuse and protecting victims — at least $50 million.
"We are thrilled that Congress has at long last dedicated funding to supporting APS [Adult Protective Services] workers on the front lines."
That could be a huge help during the pandemic, a time when elder abuse has reportedly been rising.
In Next Avenue's article last year, "Like Domestic Abuse, Elder Abuse Appears to Be Climbing Too," Bonnie Brandl, founder and director of the National Clearinghouse on Abuse in Later Life, said: "Abusers are using the threat of the virus and the isolation to provide misinformation to people." The pandemic, writer Grace Birnstengel said, "which fundamentally already disproportionately impacts older people, has an added layer of making older populations extra vulnerable to neglect, abandonment and abuse financially, emotionally, sexually and physically."
"The need is dire," said Lori Delagrammatikas, executive director of the National Adult Protective Services Association. "We are thrilled that Congress has at long last dedicated funding to supporting APS workers on the front lines."
Delagrammatikas expects some of the new funding will help provide reliable data on the occurrence of elder abuse in the pandemic. And Bill Benson, NAPSA's senior policy adviser, noted that money for services to victims after APS investigations, such as meals and in-home care or alternative living arrangements, can help stop and prevent further abuse."
Other favorable parts of the legislation for older Americans: a Special Enrollment Period for enrolling in Medicare Parts A and B in times of disasters and a variety of improvements to health care for older residents of rural communities. 
The law also now requires state Medicaid programs cover non-emergency medical transportation, especially for medical appointments. And, starting in 2022, there will be new protections against surprise medical bills, establishing a process for resolving out-of-network bill disputes.
The Downsides of the COVID-19 Relief Law
Now to the downsides of the COVID-19 relief law for older Americans:
Funding for Older Americans Act (OAA) programs was slashed from $1 billion to $175 million. What's more, all of that funding will go to nutrition programs such as home-delivered meals, rather than a larger array of services and supports. 
The National Association of Area Agencies on Aging noted it also didn't include resources to let more older adults and people with disabilities receive home and community-based services through Medicaid.
Plus, the new law's failure to include funding for state and local governments will exacerbate pressures already felt by aging programs relying on this funding and the ability of states to provide adequate COVID-19 vaccination programs for people 60 and older.
Some Democrats in Congress referred to the legislation as a "down payment" on a larger package which may be the first bill Joe Biden signs as President, however. 
Advocates for older adults are already hard at work in preparation for that possibility, canvassing members to see how demand for their services has grown lately. Some areas of the country have seen triple-digit percentage increases in the number of home-delivered meals compared to before the pandemic. 
Also important for the next COVID-19 relief bill: the need for nutrition service provider staff at groups like Meals on Wheels, and the older adults they serve, to get priority in receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.


Ways the New COVID-19 Relief Law Will, and Won't, Help Older Americans

Bob Blancato

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