Aging in Place and Living in Place
Aging in place allows a person to live in the place of their choosing while retaining their quality of life in their senior years safely and independently and in comfort. For most seniors, having to leave their home they have lived in for years is unimaginable.
Aging in place means remaining in your private home if possible and aging in place costs less. Assisted living accommodations are expensive. Seniors living independently must be able to accomplish several tasks without supervision. Home remodeling and accommodations for handicaps can be made to private homes.
Aging in place may require supplemental services such as someone to clean your home weekly. A taxi or ride share service to a senior’s hairdresser may save trying to wash their own hair. Many restaurants deliver meals. If bill paying is a problem, regular monthly bills can be auto deducted from your bank account, reducing the worry of forgetting to pay them. Only one percent of homes are designed to age in place. No step entries allow seniors with walkers easy access to their home. If a senior can no longer drive, access to transportation is especially important: buses, sidewalks, subways, and near-by stores are essential. However, many grocery stores will take orders over the phone or through an app and deliver them to their customers.
Single floor homes are preferable to two story homes. However, an electric chair that can take a senior from the first floor to the second floor are available and affordable. If you do not have a bedroom on the first floor, consider remodeling one of the downstairs rooms into a bedroom. Bathrooms are common fall areas, but walk-in tubs with showers solve the problem of trying to get in and out of a regular tub. A walk-in shower can accommodate as well if there is no step up or down; and the shower wall has a grab bar.
In a home with a kitchen that has easy access to the family room, with wide doorways or no doorways, avoids hazards of falling. An open plan layout provides fewer hallways and doors to navigate, allowing freedom of movement and makes interior spaces seem larger. Pullout shelves and open shelving eliminates having to reach the back of cupboards which can cause a fall. Pocket doors allow privacy when you need it, such as for a bathroom or if it is an office or a bedroom.
Remember if it is not a load bearing wall, a wall can be removed to provide an open layout between a family room and a kitchen. Also, consider windows. If you do not need absolute privacy, take down curtains and replace with pull down shades or with plantation shutters that can be opened to allow more light for reading and other hobbies. Enlarging windows is also an option. Doors with lever knobs are easier to open even when hands are crippled or arthritic. They also look more elegant than regular knobs. A deck is easier to maintain and can be decorated with plants and greenery to provide access to nature. Decks do not need mowed and can be treated annually to maintain their beauty.
If you want a garden, a small corner of the deck can be relegated for veggies. A simple box two or three feet high with hold enough dirt to plant many vegetables.
Be sensitive about finances. Seniors should never give out their Social Security number. health insurance member number, or credit card numbers to anyone over the phone. Banks do not ask clients to email their private information. Banks do not ask for information over the phone. If seniors get a call from a bank, they should not answer any questions. They should hang up and call their bank, so they are not victims of a scam.
Seniors must remember to take any medicines on a timely basis. There are many items that can help accomplish this – weekly pill dispensers that can be filled at one time and by another trusted relative. If a senior is living alone and afraid they will need help, they can get a device that calls emergency services automatically and gets help quickly. (Great call is one.) Seniors can also talk with their pastor about any senior services the church provides.