Elder Standard Measures Real Cost of Living

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What is an 'adequate income allowing older adults to age in place? How does it vary according to elders' life circumstances-whether they are living alone or with a spouse, rent or own their home, drive a car or use other transportation? How do living costs change as the health status and Ufe circumstances of an older adult change? What happens if an older person needs long-term care to keep living at home?

To answer these and related questions, the University of Massachusetts, Boston, Gerontology Institute launched its Elder Economic Security Initiative in 2004, in conjunction with Wider Opportunities for Women, to provide an objective, reality-based benchmark of elders' basic …