The National Association of Home Builders is hoping to attract thousands of housing professionals who serve the rapidly expanding 50+ market to The 6^th Annual Building for Boomers & Beyond Symposium and Conference in Denver, May 30^th through June 1^st. Bob Tippets, Chairman of the NAHB 50+ Housing Council, enthuses in a recent press release, “This year’s event is not to be missed. Attendees not only have a great opportunity to network with their peers and attend superior industry educational sessions, but they can also take advantage of post conference courses and get credit toward the new Certified Active Adult Specialist in Housing (CAASH) designation.”

Other highlights will include new home tours, a design and marketing awards dinner, a press conference on “Green Building”, extensive exhibit halls showcasing the newest products in senior housing and a keynote address by global trends consultant Andrew Zolli. Zolli will discuss the significant ways that increased longevity is affecting boomers and society as a whole.

Visit www.nahb.org/build4boomers for more information or to register to attend.

In Denmark, some groups of seniors combine private living quarters with a sharing of duties for maintenance and social interaction, with their government as facilitator.

It’s called co-housing, and Dr. Edward Steinfield, Director of the Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access at the University of Buffalo believes it could gain traction in the U.S. as the new generation of retirees opens up to new and creative lifestyle choices. Already, an inter-generational co-housing community exists near Boulder, Colo.

“In Denmark, part of the success is due to the fact that the population is homogeneous,” says Dr. Steinfield. “But I see great interest emerging here, as well.”

Behind the interest, he explains, is the new generation’s assertiveness and drive for self-determination that has long been characteristic of the baby-boomers who started flexing their muscle in the late 1960s and the 1970s.

The way it works in Denmark, those who believe they want to be a part of a specific co-housing community meet those who are already a part of it, experience what their lives are like and decide: Do I want to be a part of this or not? “If they don’t,” says Dr. Steinfield, “they leave.”

Rather than be shaped by their environment, residents of co-housing have the opportunity to shape their surroundings.

Interesting tips on making physical fitness facilities easy for older people to get into and use in a pamphlet developed by the North Carolina Office on Disability and Health in collaboration with The Center for Universal Design.  While it was published a few years ago, its advice stands the test of time, and it offers a lot of diagrams and specifications on how to set up what it talks about.  The pamphlet is called “Removing Barriers to Health Clubs and Fitness Facilities.”   Among its tips: Provide an accessible route into the facility and around it. It defines an accessible route as “a clear path at least 36 inches wide with no steps or stairs that goes from the parking lot into the building and to and through all areas …”