By: KeyCrew Media
When families weigh the costs of aging in place vs. moving to senior living in San Diego, they typically focus on mortgage payments, care costs, and home modifications. According to Bryan Devore, a Seniors Real Estate Specialist and Director of the Senior Division at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties, who specializes in senior real estate transitions in San Diego County, they’re missing what he considers the most consequential cost: the health toll of social disconnection.
Aging at Home Alone Is Not the Same as Aging Well at Home
The image of a senior comfortably aging in a familiar home often masks a quieter reality, Devore argues. Many older adults living alone, particularly those without family nearby, end up spending their days largely inactive and disconnected from other people.
“People who are aging in place at home, especially if they’re doing it by themselves, they don’t have family around, they’re oftentimes just home watching TV, and they’re not staying connected with other people,” Devore says. “That’s not healthy.”
This pattern, according to Devore, is common when seniors remain in homes designed for a different phase of life, in neighborhoods where peers have moved away or passed on, and where daily routines no longer naturally generate social contact. The physical environment may be manageable, but the social environment quietly deteriorates.
The Health Consequences Families Aren’t Factoring In
Devore describes social isolation as the most significant health problem facing older Americans today. “The biggest health problem we have in the U.S. right now is people not being connected with others,” he says. “It’s social isolation.”
Public health research treats that disconnection as a physical risk rather than a purely emotional one. The 2023 U.S. Surgeon General’s advisory on loneliness and isolation found that the mortality risk associated with poor social connection is comparable to smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day, exceeding the risk tied to obesity or physical inactivity.
Yet when families sit down to compare the cost of staying home versus moving to a senior living community, connection rarely appears as a line item. Devore says it should.
The omission matters because the downstream health consequences of isolation, including cognitive decline, depression, and weakened immune function, generate their own costs. A senior who becomes socially withdrawn may require more intensive care sooner, offsetting any savings achieved by avoiding a move.
Why the True Cost Comparison of Aging in Place vs. Moving to Senior Living in San Diego Looks Different With Connection Included
When Devore walks clients through a genuine cost comparison between aging in place and moving to a community, he pushes them beyond the obvious expenses. Mortgage, utilities, insurance, and maintenance are the starting point. But he also asks them to consider transportation as mobility declines, the nutritional quality of meals when cooking becomes difficult, and the cost, financial and otherwise, of staying meaningfully connected to other people.
“You really have to factor in: how are they going to stay connected to others?” Devore says. “Is it online? Is it in person? Are they going to a senior center? Are they having friends come in? Maybe a home care person could come in and play games with them.”
Each of those options carries either a financial cost or a logistical burden that falls on the senior or their family. In contrast, Devore notes, senior living communities build connections into the structure of daily life, through shared meals, organized activities, and proximity to other people. That built-in social infrastructure has real value that rarely gets priced into the decision.
How to Approach the Full-Cost Conversation
Devore says his role involves helping seniors and their families move past the surface-level financial comparison into a more complete picture of what each option actually costs and provides. That includes working alongside placement professionals, specialists who know the local senior community landscape and can match families to options based on values, location, and budget, as well as connecting clients with aging-in-place specialists who can assess whether a home can realistically support both physical and social needs over time.
Devore notes that placement professionals cost families nothing directly. “People think, well, I’m going to pay all this money to have someone guide me through this, and it’s actually a free service to them,” he says. The placement professional is compensated by the community the senior moves into.
His approach treats the housing decision as a quality-of-life question, not just a financial one. By surfacing the social dimension early, Devore argues, families can make choices that account for what actually sustains health and wellbeing in later years, rather than discovering the gap only after isolation has already taken hold.
About Bryan Devore: Bryan Devore is a Seniors Real Estate Specialist and Director of the Senior Division at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties. With 23 years of experience, an SRES (Seniors Real Estate Specialist) and Certified Trust and Probate Specialist designation, and a team ranked in the top 1/2% of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices affiliates nationwide, he specializes in senior real estate transitions in San Diego County. Devore also hosts Senior Spaces, a television program guiding families through downsizing, aging-in-place, and inherited-property decisions.
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Disclaimer: This article is based on information provided by the expert source cited above. It is intended for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or real estate advice. Readers should conduct their own research and consult qualified professionals before making any real estate or financial decisions.
