Date of Award

4-2003

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department

Civil and Construction Engineering

First Advisor

Dr. L. Jawahar Nesan

Second Advisor

Dr. Boyd C. Paulson

Third Advisor

Dr. Matt Syal

Access Setting

Masters Thesis-Open Access

Abstract

In the United States, persons born between 1942 and 1964 are within 10 to 15 years of traditional retirement age and are identified as baby boomers. The data shows that the number of persons aged 65 years and older have grown from 10 percent of the population in 1970 to nearly 13 percent in 1996. Furthermore, the population that is 65 years old or older is projected to be 20 percent of the population in 2030. As a result, the demographic change nurtures a demand for senior’s housing.

On the other hand, the concern is for the elderly living in nursing homes. Today, there are around 1,032,000 people aged 85 and older housed in nursing homes, and there will be an additional 3,336,000 people aged 85 and older requiring nursing home accommodations in 2050. To accommodate 3,336,000 people, the United States has to build and place in operation a 183-bed nursing home everyday for the 50 years between 2000 and 2050. The research is concentrated on investigating the requirements in a house to suit the needs of elderly people and developing construction management strategies for implementation in the construction of future housing.

Share

COinS