Now, we’re going to re-visit a conversation with an author from Takoma Park who has been studying the ways older people are coping with the challenges of living independently. Beth Baker’s first book examined how nursing homes are being transformed. Her latest book looks at how people are, in many cases, avoiding institutional care completely.
As she points out, in 1900, only 4% of Americans were over the age of 65. In just a few years, that number will swell to 17%, and high housing costs will put nearly half of America’s 72 million baby boomers at risk of busting their budgets. But living independently doesn’t have to mean living alone. The book is called With a Little Help from Our Friends: Creating Community as We Grow Older. Tom spoke to her about the book last April.
