Belmont seniors have spoken, and overwhelmingly, they want to remain in their homes as they age, reflecting nationwide sentiments.
“People want to find ways to live in their home as long as possible,” said Ellen Sullivan, a board member of Belmont’s Council on Aging (COA) and a member of the Age Friendly Action Committee (AFAC).
To give seniors tools and information on how to remain in their beloved residences, the COA and AFAC will hold a free Age in Place Resource Fair on April 29, featuring an array of groups. The event is open to all, including people from outside of Belmont.
“One of the goals [of the first fair held in 2024] was to better communicate resources available to seniors,” said Sullivan.
About 41 vendors from nonprofit and for-profit organizations will be featured at the upcoming Beech Street Center event and will provide information on a variety of issues, including adaptive home care, home modification, health, fitness, and nutrition, safety and fraud, transportation, education and empowerment, and more.
A sampling of the groups included in the fair is the AARP, Belmont Medical Supply (medical equipment), Operation Independence (home modification), PeopleFit at Home (exercise services), Senior Solutions (legal planning), Seniors Blue Book (array of information), and many others.
Strong attachments
In surveys across the country, the state, and Belmont, seniors have expressed a desire to remain in their homes and communities.
In 2025, a Needs Assessment Survey of all Belmont residents aged 60+ was conducted by the University of Massachusetts Gerontology Institute. About 30% of the people who received the survey responded:
- 90% of all respondents said they feel it is important to stay in Belmont as they age.
- Half of the respondents said they need home modifications or repairs to age in place safely
- 1 in 5 respondents said they have experienced difficulty paying for home-related expenses
“It’s remarkable that 90% of all seniors [who took the survey] feel it’s really important to stay in town … that says a lot,” said Judy Morrison, a COA board member and head of AFAC.
Some who responded to the survey said they value Belmont’s neighborliness, services, and sense of safety.
“I like the small-town feel, the fact that I am likely to run into someone I know, the passion and tenacity that can lead to a new library [and] that we’re close to Cambridge and Boston,” said one respondent, according to Morrison.
However, others expressed concern about how feasible it will be to remain in Belmont as they age.
“The continuing increases in taxes may make the town unaffordable,” said a resident who responded to the survey.
“Our current home can’t be adapted, and we’re very concerned there isn’t housing for us in Belmont we can afford,” said another.
Seniors across the state and country expressed similar concerns and sentiments.
“Almost 23% of Massachusetts residents are 60 or older (source: 2020 US Census), and nearly all of them would like to remain in their home communities as they continue to age,” according to the Massachusetts Councils on Aging (MCOA).
The Pew Research Center surveyed 8,750 adults from Sept. 2 to 8, 2025, including 2,582 adults ages 65 and older. The organization asked older adults who live in their own homes without a caregiver what they’d want to do if they could no longer do so. According to the survey, among those aged 65+ who lived on their own, 60 percent wished to remain in their own home with a caregiver.
The Age in Place Resource Fair will take place on Wednesday, April 29, from 4 to 6 p.m., at the Beech Street Center, 266 Beech St., Belmont. For more information, visit beechstreetcenter.org/2293/Age-in-Place-Resource-Fair
