The MedCottage is a new type of portable, small dwelling. Designed by a Virginia-based company with advice from Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center, the MedCottage is classified by Virginia state law as a temporary, family health-care structure. It is better known by its nickname: “granny pod.”<\/p>\n
These auxiliary dwelling units, or ADUs, are part of an expected, growing demand to provide housing and care for the elderly as Baby Boomers “gray.” According to the Census Bureau, the number of Americans 65 and older has increased faster than the total population. It is expected that the U.S. will have more than 72 million people older than 65 within the next two decades, many of whom will likely need some sort of care.<\/p>\n
Other ADUs showing up on the market are the Seattle-based FabCabs, Massachusetts-based in-law modulars known as “Elderly Cottage Housing Opportunities,” and freestanding models from Connecticut called “Practical Assisted Living Solutions,” or “PALS.”<\/p>\n