In support of Long Term Care Awareness Month, the impact investment pioneers at Community Capital Management (CCM) want to focus this blog on an issue that will become increasingly important in the coming years. While November is the month to shine a spotlight on long term care, at CCM, we address long term care issues in impact investments throughout the year. Of our 17 impact themes, 15% of our targeted investments last quarter were allocated to our impact theme supporting seniors/disabled.
Why are long term care issues expected to increase in importance? The US Department of Health and Human Services research brief entitled, Long-Term Services and Supports For Older Americans: Risks And Financing, illustrates in the chart below how the need for both seniors/disabled services and housing will continuously grow. With CCM’s Seniors/Disabled impact theme, our investment team consistently targets this need.
Table 1: Total Population Aged 65 or Older (in thousands), Including Number of People Projected to Meet HIPAA Disability Criteria, 2015-2065
Table 1 displays expected Long Term Care Support and Services (LTSS) needs from age 65 to death. It presents life expectancy and then the mean and distribution of the duration of disability for those turning 65 in 2015-2019. The typical person who is alive at age 65 can expected to live another 20.9 years. Fifty-two percent can anticipate having at least some needs for LTSS; 19 percent are expected to have needs that last less than a year, and about 14 percent are expected to have needs that extend beyond five years.
Below CCM shares an example of an investment benefitting senior care support services and affordable housing.
Highland Haven Apartments is an affordable rental property for seniors in Highland, Michigan. The property consists of 32 units, all of which receive Section 8 assistance. Highland Haven Apartments offers residents access to social opportunities, maintenance free living, and resources.
Amenities include onsite laundry, a community activity room, computer lab, community patio area, and neighborhood networking centers. Activities available to residents include games, holiday events, religious activities, exercise classes, health education, potluck dinners, arts and crafts, movie days, and educational and informational presentations.
The property offers residents access to an onsite service coordinator who helps residents gain access to a variety of programs and supportive services including:
- Being a liaison with organizations such as Social Security, Medicare, Food Assistance Programs, Department of Human Services, etc.;
- Utilizing technology to report to these organizations and agencies;
- Providing personalized assistance with healthcare needs such as finding a doctor in a participating insurance plan or identifying prescription drug plan options; and
- Being an advisor, a good listener, an advocate and a friendly face.
For more information on other examples of how CCM supports seniors and those disabled in the U.S., you may reach out to our marketing team by emailing gbastos@ccminvests.com.