Aging: All Related Resources

Loneliness is often more common in older adults and those who face structural vulnerabilities, including those who experience homelessness. In the United States, 48% of single homeless adults are 50 and older. There is a limited information about loneliness among older adults who have experienced homelessness. This study used qualitative data collected as part of a longitudinal mixed-methods study, Health Outcomes of People Experiencing Homelessness in Older Middle Age (HOPE HOME). The study aimed to examine the intersection between social isolation, functional and cognitive impairment, and use of supportive services among a cohort of older adults experiencing homelessness in Oakland, California. Researchers found that homeless-experienced older adults with cognitive or functional impairments exhibited diverse loneliness experiences.

Half of people experiencing homelessness are older than 50, and almost half of older homeless adults became homeless for the first time after they turned 50. This webinar is about the causes and consequences of homelessness in late life. Margot Kushel, MD, and other BHHI presenters will discuss findings from the Health Outcomes of People Experiencing Homelessness in Older Middle Age (HOPE HOME) project—a longitudinal cohort study following older adults experiencing homelessness in Oakland, CA, and the California Statewide Study of People Experiencing Homelessness (CASPEH)—the largest representative study of homelessness in the United States since the mid-1990s.

A record number of seniors are burdened by high housing costs. A new report from University's Joint Center for Housing Studies sounds the alarm as the US population ages rapidly. The number of seniors who will qualify for federal housing subsidies will continue to grow. The report also notes that more people over the age of 50 are losing housing for the first time. Margot Kushel, MD, director of the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, said, "Increasingly, the story of homelessness among adults is going to be older adults living in poverty, who are spending what should be their retirement years in the streets."

On this weeks episode of As Prescribed, Alice Wertz spoke with Margot Kushel, MD, a professor of medicine and director of the Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative at UCSF about the aging homeless population. Older people who experience homelessness tend to have health problems more commonly found in people who are in their 70s or 80s. Recent research has shown that about 48% of adults experiencing homelessness were 50 and above. "They really were hanging on every month, scraping by, barely able to make the rent,” said Dr. Kushel. “And sometime after the age of 50, something happened. And what was really interesting about these folks, as they could kind of pinpoint the moment when things fell apart.” she added.