The proportion of elderly persons in the population is rising in the developed countries. Housing and related social policies are undergoing change to respond to this socio-demographic change within the context of wider changes in policy thinking with respect to housing and aging. International trends in housing policy for elderly people may be discerned despite national variations. The governments of developed countries are beginning to be more engaged in multi-sectoral planning, in decentralization of responsibilities for housing, health and support services and in cost-sharing arrangements for housing and related policies. The quality of life for elderly persons has benefitted through increased opportunities for aging in place in their own homes and through better designed residential facilities. The nineties have been called"the age of age." The aging of the population presents immense challenges to the way human settlements are designed and organized. The responses to the challenge will be determined, nevertheless, more by societal choices than by socio-demographic changes.