The nuclear family has been in slow explosion for generations. But where will its most senior members land, and live, as the baby boom enters true old age?

By 2026, the oldest baby boomers will be turning 80. This aging demographic is rising to form the crest of a “silver tsunami,” bringing with it a wave of need for senior housing.

While millennials as of 2023 became the largest generation in the United States, the ranks of older Americans are rising rapidly. Birth rates have been falling, increasing the representation of the senior population. Over the next decade, the senior slivers of the population are due to grow by close to 50 percent, compared with overall U.S. population growth of just 4.7 percent.

As a result, the demand for senior housing is due to at least double in the next five years, according to projections from Harrison Street. But the demand is not being met by supply.

Perversely, the delivery of new senior housing communities contin