88% of People Want to Age in Place. Only 30% Actually Do.
A University of Michigan study published in April 2022 confirmed what most people already feel in their hearts. 88% of adults aged 50 to 80 want to age in place. They want to stay in the home they love, in the neighborhood they know, surrounded by the life they’ve built. Only 30% actually do. That’s not a small gap. That’s a 58% gap, and behind every single percentage point is a family who had a plan that didn’t hold. We’re here for the 58%.
The Plan Most People Have
Ask almost anyone over 60 what their housing plan looks like, and you will hear multiple versions of the same thing: “We’re staying in this house.” It’s not a bad answer. It comes from a good place of love for a home, comfort in familiar surroundings, and the independence that comes from living life on their own terms. It’s completely understandable. But staying in a home and planning to stay in a home are two very different things. Most people have the intention. Very few have the plan. And that gap between intention and plan is exactly where agency gets lost.
What Actually Gets in the Way
The 58% didn’t fail because they were careless. They didn’t fail because they didn’t love their homes enough or want it badly enough. They failed because life happened faster than the plan. A fall. A diagnosis. A spouse who needed care. A home that stopped working with too many stairs, too much square footage, and too much maintenance, all before anyone had stopped to think it through.
Here’s the truth nobody says out loud: falls are the number one reason seniors lose the right to decide where they live. One in four adults over 65 who experience a significant fall do not survive the following year. Not because of the fall itself, but because of what follows. Broken hips. Loss of mobility. The inability to recover independence once it’s gone. Once the fall happens, a timeline collapses. Decisions get made in haste in hospital waiting rooms. Children or family members are doing their best, acting out of love and concern, and they start making decisions that should have belonged to the person who fell. The loss of agency that older adults try to protect gets lost between the fall and the discharge paperwork at the hospital.
The Home They Love May Be the Thing Working Against Them
This is the hardest thing to hear, and it’s said with complete respect. The home they’re trying to stay in might be the thing making it hardest to stay. Multi-story homes. Bathrooms that aren’t designed for mobility changes. Yards and square footage that demand more upkeep every year. Layouts that made perfect sense at 55 and become a liability at 75. The home isn’t the enemy. But an unexamined home, one that’s never been looked at through the lens of the next 15 to 20 years, can quietly become one. This is why advisors sit down with families before something happens. Because when a home is examined together with fresh eyes and a long-range plan, solutions often emerge that weren’t on anyone’s radar:
- Modifications that make aging in place genuinely possible
- Stepless ranch homes in the Greater Atlanta area, designed for this life stage
- 55+ active communities that expand lifestyle instead of shrinking it
- Multi-generational living arrangements that keep families close without sacrificing independence
- Retirement communities where they can start out being independent and transition as needed
There is no single right answer. There is only their answer, arrived at thoughtfully with full information, before someone else has to decide for them.
Why This Work Matters
We (Tom & Tonya) are KW Real Estate Planners, not just agents. That distinction matters. Many people think of a real estate agent as someone who helps them buy or sell a home. A Keller Williams Real Estate Planner helps people think about their housing needs not only for today but in 5, 10, or 15 years down the road. We work with families in the Greater Atlanta area, with our focus being mainly on the south side: Peachtree City, Fayetteville, Tyrone, Sharpsburg, Senoia, Newnan, and beyond. We help our clients ask these critical questions:
- Is this home going to work for us long term?
- What are our options if it doesn’t?
- How do we make the decision before it gets made for us?
We don’t come to these conversations with an agenda. We come with a framework, with lots of experience, and a genuine belief that families deserve to choose what their plan is and not have somebody choose it for them. After all, a plan is just a plan. It doesn’t mean you have to execute it the next day, the next month, or even the next year, but if something were to happen, then they have a plan to execute
The 30% Didn’t Get Lucky. They Got Ahead of It.
The people who successfully age in place aren’t the ones who simply wanted it more. They’re the ones who looked honestly at what it would take and planned while they still could. They modified their homes. They right-sized before a crisis forced them to. They had conversations with their children about what they wanted, before those conversations became emergency decisions. They worked with someone who helped them see the full picture.
If Aging in Place is The Plan, Then It’s Time to Talk Before Becoming Part of the 58%.
This isn’t a sales conversation. It’s a planning conversation, and there’s a meaningful difference. We will look at the home, the timeline, and the goals together. Then we help people walk through what’s working, what’s not working in 10 years, and what the options actually are. No pressure, no agenda, just a real conversation with real choices. If any of this resonates with you and you want to sit down and have a strategy session with The Byrd Group, please reach out to us so we can schedule an appointment. Because the best time to plan is before it’s needed.
The Byrd Group serves families across Greater Atlanta, Georgia, including Peachtree City, Fayetteville, Tyrone, Sharpsburg, Senoia, Newnan, and beyond. Tonya and Tom are Keller Williams Real Estate Planners, specializing in life-stage housing strategy, estate planning, and senior transitions.
Source: University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging
Questions Families Ask About Aging in Place
How many older adults want to age in place?
A University of Michigan poll published in April 2022 found that 88% of adults ages 50 to 80 want to age in place, staying in the home and neighborhood they love. Only about 30% actually do.
What is the biggest reason seniors cannot stay in their homes?
Falls are the number one reason seniors lose the right to decide where they live. One in four adults over 65 who have a significant fall do not survive the following year, often because of the broken hips and loss of mobility that follow.
Can the home itself make aging in place harder?
Yes. Multi-story homes, bathrooms that are not designed for mobility changes, and yards and square footage that demand more upkeep every year can make it harder to stay in the home a person loves.
What do people who successfully age in place do differently?
They plan while they still can. They modify their homes, right-size before a crisis forces them to, and talk with their children about what they want.
How does The Byrd Group help families plan for aging in place?
We have a planning conversation, not a sales conversation. We look at the home, the timeline, and the goals together, then walk through what is working, what may not work in 10 years, and what the options are. We serve families across Greater Atlanta, including Peachtree City, Fayetteville, Tyrone, Sharpsburg, Senoia, and Newnan.
Learn more about how we help on our Senior Downsizing page. Related reading: Downsizing Isn’t Giving Up, It’s Taking Control and The House That Holds Them Back and the Equity That Could Set Them Free.
The Byrd Group is a real estate team, not an attorney, CPA, or financial advisor. Nothing in this post constitutes legal, tax, or financial advice. For legal, tax or financial guidance, please consult an attorney, a CPA, or a financial advisor.
