Older residents want doctors nearby

Medical Economics, September, 2007 by Murray, Dennis

RETIREMENT

Proximity to physicians' offices and hospitals is on the minds of people age 55 and older, which means housing developers would do well to factor healthcare into their marketing equations, says a new report from HousingEconomics.com, an online publication of the National Association of Home Builders. An earlier NAHB and AARP survey asked older consumers which community features would be important to them in their golden years. Safe neighborhoods came out on top, with 96 percent of respondents agreeing that safety is "very or somewhat important." Hospitals came in second (94 percent) and doctors' offices ranked third (92 percent). However, only 72 percent of those surveyed reported having doctors and hospitals in their current communities.