Retirement Living TV has jumped into the booming online health information market with the launch of Our Freedom Years, a site focused on health issues related to aging. This vertical market is surging as Boomers age and turn to the web for information.

Retirement Living is owned by Erickson Retirement Communities, which also publishes the Erickson Tribune monthly newspaper that circulates in the company’s communities. A press release says Our Freedom Years will draw from all those resources.

A 2007 Harris Poll showed that 52 percent of Americans “sometimes or frequently” go online for health information, up from 29 percent in 2001. Other media companies targeting the market include Hearst Magazines, which beefed up its online health presence last year by acquiring Real Age, and Healthline.com, which last year raised $25 million in new capital to fund expansion. AOL founder Steve Case has established a major presence in online health with Revolution Health, an online brand focused on healthy lifestyles. These newer sites are getting traction despite the presence of strong, entrenched online names like WebMd, the Mayo Clinic and the National Institutes of Health.

Americans’ confidence about their ability to retire comfortably has fallen sharply and stands at the lowest level in seven years, according to survey research released today by the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI). The percentage of individuals highly confident about their retirement outlook dropped from 27 percent to 18 percent, according to EBRI.

Other key findings:

• Health care is a big worry: About half of current retirees say they are spending more on health care than anticipated; that confirms findings at the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College documenting the growing health care burden.
• Planning still lacking: Only 47 percent said they have developed a serious financial plan for retirement. That’s up slightly from 42 percent a year ago.
• Savings are inadequate: 72 percent say they have saved something for retirement, but 49 percent say it’s less than $50,000.

Wall Street Journal coverage of the survey is here.

Rising demand for health care services from aging Boomers will drive growth in medically-related real estate over the next decade, according to a Grubb & Ellis study. The report forecasts that medical properties will out-perform all other categories of commercial real estate in the years ahead:

“Medical office space is already outpacing traditional office space as
measured by asking rental rates. From 2000 to 2007, asking rental rates for
medical office space grew an average of 2.8 percent per year on average,
while rents for traditional office product grew an average of 1.3 percent,
according to Grubb & Ellis.

“The growing demand for medical services has kept healthcare
construction booming. Norcross, Ga.-based Reed Construction Data reports
that monthly spending on healthcare construction is 20 percent higher than
a year ago.”

The study notes a recent trend away from use of hospital beds in favor of outpatient services, and strong venture capital flows into the health care industry. Download the full report here.

The rising expense of long-term care for aging Baby Boomers will have a sharp impacat on the senior housing industry, according to new  analysis by the National Investment Center.  According to National Real Estate Investor, key conclusions include:

• Nearly 70 percent of Americans will need some form of long-term care;
• The number of people with disabilities will increase substantially;
• Demand for long-term care services will double by 2040;
• The rising price of services will impact expenditures;
• The ability of older people to pay for their own care will improve, with fewer people relying on Medicaid;
• No more than 20 percent of older people will have private long-term care insurance because of the high cost.

The study also looks at shifting patterns of care, especially the rise of assisted living and in-home care. The nursing home business is especially vulnerable as these changes accelerate.

The Center  focuses on research and education in the senior housing industry.

Most Baby Boomers don’t understand the basics of Medicare, according to a survey by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Investment News reports that 66 percent of boomer respondents said they were “not very familiar” or “not at all familiar” with the plan’s options, such as Part B, which covers some medical costs, and Medigap insurance policies. Only 36% knew that Medicare eligibility begins at age 65 — not at age 62, the starting age for Social Security eligibility. Financial planners are trying to address confusion with their clients, according to the trade magazine:

“To educate their clients, planners are using webcasts and seminars, as well as providing regular updates on how Medicare coverage is changing. Clients and the advisers themselves are seeking this information, said Jay E. Zandell, owner and principal of Z Planning Group LLC, a Phoenix-based long-term-care planning firm. “There are too many misconceptions about what Medicare does,” said Mr. Zandell. “People go into retirement mode with the misconception that as long as they have Medicare, the health issues are addressed.”

Is it spying on Mom or Dad, or a technology that’s about to take off? Sue Shellenbarger’s Work & Family column in the Wall Street Journal looks at a raft of new technologies that offer peace of mind to seniors and children providing care who want to keep tabs. Her conclusion: privacy issues aren’t a big concern, and families like the monitoring. This business appears to be really moving, fueled by the huge number of long-distance caregivers. A 2004 Metlife study identified 34 million Americans providing care to older adults, with 15 percent of those living at a long distance. Key players include QuietCare Home Health Security Systems, which uses motion sensors to detect seniors’ motion and comings and goings, and feeds data to a network that customers can monitor via a website. We’ve also noted heavy R&D and product commitments from tech giants like Intel and Honeywell.

The WSJ piece also features an interesting companion video.