More Boomers Seeking Independent Living

They tend to choose one floor-plan homes with help in maintaining the grounds

By Maggie Fitzgibbon

 

People are living longer. Why? In the United States, some of the reasons can be attributed to better healthcare, improved nutrition and more active people.

In 2025, the first of the baby boomer generation — those born from 1946 to 1964 — will turn 80.

The US Census Bureau reports that the U.S. population aged 65 and older grew from 2010 to 2020. This growth is the fastest rate from 1880 to 1890 and reached 55.8 million, a 38.6% increase in just 10 years.

With this growth comes a demand for housing.

In September 2024, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the completion of a new $48 million, 40-unit affordable housing development for seniors in Rochester. The building is the first phase of a three-phase project to replace the aging Cobbs Hill Village, a Mitchell-Lama development originally built in 1957. This is just one example of new Rochester and Monroe County development.

But the question is why this need and why are people moving into this type of independent housing?

Joyce and Tom Plucknette Sr. live in Hickory Hollow, a senior housing complex in Spencerport.

This complex is the first senior housing to be built in Spencerport. Before the Plucknettes made this move more than 20 years ago, they attended many meetings with the town, village and builder to learn the details of the building process and homeowner obligations.

“We did our research because this type of housing was new to the area,” Tom explained. They learned their home costs, plan choices, homeowners’ association fees (and what the HOA fees included), taxes, utility provider and what the complex would look like.

They moved into their 1,100-square-foot home in 2001 and were some of the first residents of this complex.

They made this move for many reasons.

“We lived in a large, old home in the village of Spencerport. It had four floors and many steps at its entrances. The home was becoming a lot for us to maintain. We knew it was time to downsize,” Joyce explained.

While leaving their village home was a difficult decision to make, this active couple is very happy with their home of almost 24 years. It’s a two-bedroom, two full baths home, living room, dining room and kitchen with an open floor plan. The home has a full basement and a three-season room. The only drawback to the size of the home is that the Plucknettes are not able to entertain all of their family at once.

“Between our kids, their spouses, grandkids, their spouses and great-grandkids, we are a family of 60,” Joyce exclaimed.

The Plucknettes own their home and the property so they are responsible for the taxes and utilities including the upkeep of the interior of the home. Their HOA maintains their lawn and exterior of the home but they are allowed to plant flowers as well as a small garden.

The Hickory Hollow resident community has many social groups to belong to — a book club, a bridge group, a poker club, knitting and stitching group are just a few of the many groups.

“We love living here,” Joyce said.

“During the COVID pandemic we had driveway parties and bonfires,” Tom added.

The Plucknettes have deep roots in Spencerport. Tom, 89, was born and raised in Spencerport and Joyce, 88, moved when she was 16. They raised their family in Spencerport.

“It was important to us to stay in the area and live in Spencerport. Most of our family still lives here,” Joyce said.

The Plucknettes enjoy the independence living in Hickory Hollow provides.

“We don’t have to worry about our home when we travel because the exterior is maintained,” Joyce said.

“Ogden Police officers make regular patrols around the neighborhood,” Tom added.

 

Friends, activities

Arlene Miller moved to a villa at The Addison at Park Crescent, a senior living community in Greece, three years ago. She and her late husband moved for health reasons.

“We lived in our home for 61 years so it was a difficult decision to make but our home was a split level with many stairs that were difficult for my husband to climb. We needed to move to a place that was a one-floor home,” Miller explained.

The Addison at Park Crescent offers a host of amenities, served meals in a dining room, a library, a hair salon, family meeting spaces, community rooms, an exercise room that are all housed in the main building. A monthly calendar includes a host of social activities, even indoor and outdoor concerts. Senior apartments are also located in the main building. The villas are behind the main building with three villas per section.

Miller’s one-floor two-bedroom, two-bath home has a living room, dining room, kitchen and two-car garage as well as storage space. A small patio and lawn have space for gardening. Miller pays a monthly rental for her villa which does not include utilities. Because her villa is a rental she is subject to rent increases which, unfortunately, can be challenging due to many seniors having a fixed income.

This spry 80-something lady enjoys living at Addison at Park Crescent for many reasons. She’s made many friends and enjoys the activities. Her family lives close by and it’s convenient for shopping but most of all for one of her favorite activities.

“Weather permitting, I swim in Lake Ontario daily,” she exclaimed with a smile.

Both the Plucknettes and Miller advise anyone considering a move to senior housing to look at the many different types of housing.

The Monroe County and Finger Lakes area offers a plethora of senior housing choices. Each type has different services, some will offer transitional care based on the needs of the individual. Some of the factors to consider are:

●  Type of housing: independent both rental and homeowner

●  Affordability: does the type of housing costs fit your budget?

●  Location: is it important to live close to family and friends?

●  What amenities are offered or included: utilities, lawn care, trash and snow removal

●  Transitional care: can a person move into a higher level of care?

●  Are there social opportunities?

●  Is medical care available?

●  Close to shopping?

Three websites — A Place for Mom (aplaceformom.com), Senior Advisor (senioradvisor.com) and Caring (caring.com) are websites that can assist in a search for senior housing.

Lifespan is a regional nonprofit that is a resource for information and guidance for seniors. Visit lifespan-roch.org to learn about the many services that Lifespan offers.