Greta Garniss

Housing Issues for Mobile Seniors in Poland Greta Garniss

"This is an important source of information and ideas for a new approach to housing economy in Poland." Dr. Stanislawa Golinowska, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Faculty of Health Sciences, Institute of Public Health, Krakow Housing impacts every area of one's life. It's individual, social, economic, and material. While many seniors want to remain in their homes as long as possible, there are seniors who do not want to stay or can no longer remain in their homes. In some parts of the world seniors have housing choices whether it be age restricted housing, independent living, assisted living, memory care and/or skilled nursing. These types of housing better match a person's needs as they age. The general population has many housing choices to meet their changing needs but in many countries seniors are treated as one homogeneous group when it comes to housing. There is still the stereotype that all seniors are "old", and they are all nursing home residents or candidates. The reality is the senior demographic is just as diverse as the general population, but seniors do not have the variety of housing choices compared to the general population. Mobile seniors are especially neglected in housing research. Mobile seniors in Poland are the focus of this book because it is where I spent five years living, researching and writing about these issues. In addition to real estate and housing, Polish culture and care of older relatives is evolving. The family being the primary care giver is changing. The passing down of apartments from parent to adult child is changing. There are also a number of seniors who either have no family left or never married. What happens to them as they age? Polish seniors want to be independent as long as possible. They do not want to be a burden to their families. Through a combination of original quantitative and qualitative research contained in five chapters, I have shown that by better matching housing needs in the form of more housing for mobile seniors, if you build it, many will come.