The market’s supply of long-term care facilities for middle-income Baby Boomers lags woefully behind rising demand. Affluent seniors have access to mountain resort-style lodges and low-income seniors receive some provisions through the Medicaid State Assisted Living Waiver Program. Baby Boomers and Echo Boomers who fall somewhere between income brackets have disproportionately fewer options within their price range. A lack of social pressure could prolong the problem. Most Boomers aren’t aware that they are facing a housing crisis. As such, they aren’t applying the pressure needed to encourage serious progress in the industry. Bankers Life and Casualty Co. recently published “Retirement Care Planning: The Middle-Income Boomer Perspective.” The study reveals that only one-third of participants believe they will need long-term care. In the case that they do require senior housing, participants estimate the cost at about $47,000 per year. Participants’ assumptions are a far cry from data-driven projections. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, more than 70 percent of this demographic will require long-term care. By the time that Boomers enter specialized housing, the costs will be closer to $90,000 each year. Whether the costs are $47,000 or $90,000, Boomers aren’t prepared to pay up. 70 percent of participants have no retirement plan. Only 56 percent have considered how they will pay for housing; of that amount, 88 percent do not own long-term care insurance. 78 percent are under the impression that Medicare will pay for long-term care or are otherwise unsure of how their care will be financed. A lack of planning and savings doesn’t minimize what seniors expect if and when they enter a long-term care facility.  Boomers aren’t asking for sprawling spaces with gold plated commodes. Rather, the highest expectations fall in the areas of location and mental...