‘Never be enough’: Senior living facilities reach capacity in Charlotte, surrounding regions
CRAMERTON, NC (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — This year, more Americans are turning 65 than ever before. In North Carolina, the older adult demographic is expected to double by 2040.
“There’s my friends, Norma and Mira,” Senior Lifestyle Coordinator Denise Cobb said.
Without showing their faces and infectious smiles, the majority of residents living at TerraBella Cramer Mountain are always on the go, despite being in their 80s.
“And then they walk through the doors just like you all did, and they say, ‘Ah, I didn’t know it was like this.” And that brings joy to all of our staff,” Cobbs said.
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Today, the senior living community in Cramerton is at full capacity. Rooms are booked, with the waitlist only getting longer.
“We have had a waitlist for many, many months,” Cobb said.
What would typically be a sign of a healthy industry that’s in high demand, Cobb sees as concerning.
“It is going to impact communities, independent, assisted, memory care greatly. There will never be enough,” she said.
While there is not an influx of assisted living facilities popping up across the region, what we are seeing is acres of land in across Charlotte, Belmont, and Lake Normal being turned into 55+ active adult communities.
“You know, it’s the aging of America,” co-owner and realtor with The Ally Group Real Estate, Albert Alvarez, said.
Alvarez says he focused on residential properties, primarily in 55+ communities. Recently, he said there has not only been a construction boom in these neighborhoods, but also growing interest in moving into them from clients.
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But you don’t have to be 55 years or older to live in them. Alvarez says while 80% of owners need to be 55 or older, technically 19-year-olds can buy in.
“It’s one of the good things about the active adult scene, is you have a lot of people in the same stage of life; maybe they’ve moved away, their kids are grown, they’ve moved away from home, and they are looking for new opportunities to meet other people,” he said.
With a record-breaking 11,200 people are turning the traditional retirement age every single day, one industry grows as another fears it is falling behind.
Cobb says, given the already high demand for assisted living facilities now, imagine what it is going to be like in 10 to 15 years, when today’s 65-year-olds need around-the-clock care.”
“Oh, it’s very concerning and I think it is going to have to be more built. Maybe more independent and then assisted living because the population is getting greater and greater,” Cobb said.
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