Healthcare professionals and commercial real estate executives are bracing for the impact baby boomers will have on the future of U.S. healthcare and the housing industry.

A “silver tsunami” is coming and now is the time to prepare, Cuningham Group principal Lee Brennan said.

By 2035, the U.S. Census Bureau projects senior citizens will outnumber youth for the first time in U.S. history. People age 65 and over are expected to reach 78 million, while youth under the age of 18 will number 76.4 million.

“My generation, the baby boomers, are coming at you in a big wave and I guarantee you that they don’t want to live on a golf course looking at older people playing cards or bridge,” Brennan said. “They want to live in the same community that they have always lived in. I think the market is going to expect that.”

Creating multigenerational developments, more senior housing in cities and placing ambulatory care services in retail strips are among the ways executives said they are preparing for the crush of seniors expected to hit the market in the coming years. Real estate and healthcare leaders covered these topics at Bisnow’s National Healthcare West: The Innovation, Expansion & Impact of Healthcare at the JW Marriott LA Live in downtown Los Angeles…