Learning to respect our elders: aging-in-place modifications in Toronto community housing

This paper examines the feasibility of seniors physically aging-in-place within Toronto Community Housing Corporation’s (TCHC) portfolio. Due to the demographic shift that the City of Toronto and TCHC will experience in the upcoming decades, there will be a greater need to ensure that tenants are provided with safe accommodations to foster aging-in-place. Being able to provide this to senior tenants will require that several modifications be made to units, and tenants and TCHC will share this responsibility. These modifications must comply with the policies in place, and be feasible within constrained budgets. This research outlines the key unit modifications required for aging-in-place to occur, and highlights their costs and impact on tenants and TCHC, which ultimately helps determine the feasibility of implementing aging-in-place modifications. The imperative on tenants, TCHC and higher orders of government is detailed so they can take proactive measures in accommodating for this subset of seniors.