Aging In Place | What is Aging in Place and What Does it Mean? Well, it’s not unusual for the elderly in the US to move retirement or care homes. However, an adult can choose to remain at home during the later years of their life. They don’t move to smaller homes or retirement community homes. This is what Age in Place means.
How to Effectively Plan for Aging in Place
As an elderly person, it’s crucial that you plan how your aging in place will happen. One of the things that you need to consider is the type of help you may need. Generally, you can start planning by analyzing your health. Talk to your doctor regarding some of the health complications that can make it difficult for an elderly person to move around. Besides that, you can also seek the opinion of a caregiver. This will help you to determine some of the important home changes that you should prepare for.
Effects of Aging
As you grow older, your body changes physically and mentally. These changes will certainly have an impact on how you move, reason, talk, and eat, among others. The most common aging changes include:
- Low mobility
- High risk of falls as a result of imbalances
- Poor vision
- Weak muscle strength
- High chances of illness
- Low mental processing mental abilities including reasoning and decision-making
Important Home Modifications
The elderly cannot effectively live in common households. So, some of the important home modifications include:
- Support in the washrooms and stairs. This means the installation of railings, grab bars, and loose throw rugs.
- Walk-in showers.
- Comfortable door handles
- Improving the home lighting system.
- Stairlifts
- Sliding shelves
- Easily accessible panic or security button
- Better insulation
- Ramps to facilitate easy home entry or exit.
- Non-skid floors, etc
Benefits of Aging in Place
Research studies show that a big number of seniors are now living in their homes. This decision may be personal or from other family members. But what are some of the benefits that you can gain from aging in place?
Independence
Aging normally makes the elderly struggle with the usual everyday tasks. However, this doesn’t mean that they still can’t lead independent lives. With the assistance of close family, friends, and caregivers, it’s possible to still maintain your independence.
Note that this type of independence isn’t available in senior homes. Once you start living in a care home, you end up losing control over your routine and overall life. You become dependent on another person who gives you direction on what to do, how, and when.
It’s Cheaper
Living in your own home is much cheaper than going to these care facilities. Note that nursing homes are usually very expensive. Most seniors and their families end up paying thousands of dollars to access these facilities. For instance, a room between two people might even cost more than $10,000 annually. Moreover, accessing a private room is even more costly.
Privacy
Aging in place provides you with the privacy that you need. You can restrict who has access to you and at what time. However, most care homes don’t offer privacy. If you are not sharing a room, there is always a caregiver popping in and out of your room.
Secure and Healthier Environment
Most people send their elderly relatives to care homes thinking they’re safe. The truth is that these facilities aren’t secure or even healthier. Research studies show that this type of environment might even be depressive. This could be as a result of detachment from family and friends. A new environment far from home can result in emotional turmoil.
Besides that, some of these caregivers are not friendly. There are multiple reports indicating how some caregivers physically and emotionally abuse the elderly. Additionally, these facilities are usually at a higher risk of causing bacterial and viral infections.
However, aging in place tends to significantly improve the quality of life. This is because you can easily stay in contact with your close relatives. There are also lower chances of infections that can lead to life-threatening conditions such as pneumonia. Lastly, you can always eat what you want and not what is available.
Final Thoughts
Aging in place is one of the best decisions you can make as an elderly person. Staying in your own home will improve the overall quality of your life. And if you have the support of family, friends, or a caregiver, you’ll enjoy your sunset years in peace.