Every day we are bombarded with news of an economic meltdown and families losing their homes because of excessive debt, lost jobs and a shortage of credit.

But there is another housing crisis in our midst. Seniors who can no longer live independently may have to move into long-term care facilities that are modelled on hospitals, not homes.

And this, says Dr. William Thomas, a Harvard educated physician and board-certified geriatrician, causes the three major plagues of old age – Loneliness, Helplessness, and Boredom.

As a result he founded The Eden Alternative, a non-profit organisation that is seeking to change the experience of ageing in homes and in the home.

Ideally, we all want support in our old age from friends, family, and the long-term care industry that will allow us to stay in our own homes.

Our second choice would be in the homes of family members, in a safe, healthy, and loving environment. This requires a tremendous amount of work and coordination between families, service providers, friends, and financial assistance programmes to make it happen.

However, ageing in place is not an option when the home and the family's resources are inadequate. This often results in the very difficult decision to go into a long-term care facility.

Sadly, most of our long-term care facilities are far removed from any concept of 'home'.

Imagine, if you will, going into a long-term care facility where the rooms are either so small or shared with others that there is no room for cherished possessions or familiar furniture.

The bed has a hard plastic-covered mattress with just a sheet for easy cleaning and laundry — a very unpleasant experience when your skin is thin and your joints ache. Imagine that your days are spent in a chair, one of several arranged in a circle around the wall of a small lounge, bumper to bumper with all the other residents in their chairs.

The television is blaring in the corner so loudly that you cannot hear yourself think, never mind try to have a conversation. Then you are 'put to bed' right after supper so that the skeleton night shift has less to do. Imagine, also, living without pets to give and receive affection, or a garden to potter around in, or a choice of meals, or the chance to make a cup of tea when you want one.

Visitors are few and far between, not least because there is nowhere for them to sit among the ring of chairs in the lounge. If you do want to discuss your personal affairs with a family member you can't because there are many other ears listening in.

Is this what you want in your old age? Or would you prefer to live in a long-term care home that is modelled on a real home, not a hospital or prison?

Would you like to have some choice in your meals, be able to make a cup of tea, have pets wandering about and a garden where you can dig in the soil even if it is in a raised bed?

And wouldn't it be lovely to hear the laughter and cries of children, especially if a day-care centre was next door and you could volunteer to help with the babies or read to the toddlers?

If you think you might like to at least have the option of such a place when independent living or assisted living with family are no longer valid choices, I encourage you go onto the website for The Eden Alternative at www.edenalt.org.

Founded in 1991, The Eden Alternative has developed into a worldwide movement that is dedicated to de-institutionalizing the culture and environment of long-term care.

The alternative housing crisis is in long-term care. We all want to be loved and cared for in familiar surroundings by people whom we know and love. And we want to be able to return love and care to others – that is what makes us human.

Marian Sherratt is executive director of the Bermuda Council on Ageing