Many seniors, about 75% of Americans 50 and older, prefer to stay in their own homes for as long as possible, rather than moving to an assisted living facility. See 2021 AARP Home and Community Preferences Survey. This is referred to as “Aging in Place” (AIP).
AIP is a popular choice for older adults because they get to stay in the familiar surroundings and community where they’ve lived for so many years. They know their way around town, remaining close to their favorite stores, friends, and community hubs. These are the things that have, and still do give their lives meaning.
Unfortunately, the reality is that not all seniors are able to age in place safely. This may be because they no longer have a social support network, or they may be financially challenged, their home may no longer be suitable or in good repair, or even, healthwise, they may need more support than is available.
We never really pay that much attention to it, but with aging, we may find we need a little more help with everyday activities like housework, shopping, cleaning or even bathing. Sometimes, with some injuries and illnesses, even dressing can be an all day affair. And if there are a lot of medications? Well, that could spell a lot more trouble.
These are things that family and caregivers really need to get serious about if they haven’t already. It’s good to prepare for the worst, even if it never happens.
Ultimately, the choice of whether to age in place or move to assisted living is a personal one that depends on an individual’s specific needs, preferences, and resources. Some seniors may prefer to age in place with the support of community-based services, while others may find that assisted living is a better fit for them.
How Seniors Can Stay in Their Own Home
If you want to help your older parents stay in the home that they probably own and are infinitely comfortable in, it takes proactivity, making, and committing to decisions that will, in the long run, keep them happier and more comfortable. Some of these decisions may be major, such as remodeling the master bathroom or adding a bedroom onto the ground floor. But, other decisions will be less stressful (and less costly) like investing in an elevating recliner chair or adding a home security system.
There are many choices and considerations that you and your older parents can start making today that go a long way to helping them stay in their home.
Here are some examples that may include but are not limited to:
Home modifications
By making fairly small changes to the home it will make the home safer to live in and will relieve a lot of the pressure that family caregivers feel by the ever present concern “Are they alright?”
Some of those small changes may be removing the sliding glass doors on the bathtub and/or installing grab bars in the tub/shower or around the toilet.
If there are steps to enter the home, adding a ramp at one of the entrances (it doesn’t have to be the front door) will solve the problem if mom or dad have to be in a wheelchair or if they have trouble using stairs for whatever reason.
If they have many stairs into the home or limited space and a ramp isn’t feasible, then a stair lift or even a wheelchair elevator (they can use the elevator even if they aren’t in a wheelchair) may be a good option.
To some it may seem a little too much, but when you consider the cost of them living in assisted living or residential facility it’s not at all out of the question.
Assistive Technology
Our lives are continuing to be changed by advances in technology. To those who may have been born when television was in its infancy and phone booths were a common sight, the pace at which technology has advanced has been frightening. Things are moving so fast that the elderly have a hard time keeping up and aren’t interested in figuring out how to use it.
But there are many products and services that can help make staying in their home easier. One of those technologies is the dinosaur medical alert system. There are several different companies that, in case of an emergency, with a push of a button will call 911 and get an ambulance to the home in no time at all.
Although it may be a challenge for some seniors to agree to it, wearing a personal medical alert offers a level of security that people didn’t have a generation ago.
Another area for families to consider is so-called “smart home technology”. With products and services like Amazon’s Alexa and Google Home, seniors can lock doors, turn off lights, set medication reminders, schedule their medical appointments, and more, all with voice commands.
Another relatively easy solution to caregiver worry are in home camera systems that will allow family caregivers to monitor certain aspects of the home to see if their loved one is safe.
And while some older folks may not be comfortable with all this new technology and feeling “monitored”, if it allows them to stay in their own homes for as long as possible, it might just be worth the trade off.
Community Resource Services
There are many services that are available for seniors to use that they may not be aware of because for all their lives, they’ve been independent. There may come a time that seniors may have to give up activities that they have taken for granted, either because of health reasons or for safety’s sake. If a person loses their sight due to diabetic retinopathy or macular degeneration, simple tasks like cooking or keeping house may become unsafe, and driving would be impossible.
Community resources like meals on wheels and paratransit are designed to offer seniors and the disabled a degree of independence and allow them to stay in their residence of choice and not have to worry about healthy meals or transportation to their medical appointments or other necessary errands.
Another overlooked area that could be included in community resource services is the use of your local home health care services. Most visiting nurse associations provide nursing and rehab services that can also help keep a loved one safe and in their home for as long as possible.
Planning with Family or Friends
This is the really tough one. Planning for the future and not putting it off is another aspect of aging in place that most don’t consider when they should and then when they have to, it’s difficult to do. “Planning” includes everything from home modifications, caregiver services, finances, health care to funeral arrangements.
Planning could also mean having a go to neighbor that checks in routinely and another who may provide transportation. It could also mean having a weekly game of “bridge” or “coffee talk” at the local cafe.
Planning could also include designating a “power of attorney for healthcare” as well as finances and including neighbors on medical contact lists.
Planning is having a team who all know their roles, and they also understand the rules and “plays” of the game.
Whats hardest about the planning aspect is that the senior has to allow themselves to be vulnerable and allow people into the insecurity of their declining health. Most seniors do not want to admit they need help even though it may be blatantly obvious.
Proactive About Their Health
Many of the aspects of aging are out of our control. The cost of healthcare. Insurance companies changing their policies, and more close to home, the chronic nature of disease and aging. But, there is at least one thing that we do have control over and that’s our choice to make healthy decisions and live in a way that promotes our own health.
It’s within our power to choose to make exercise a regular thing, stay on top of our medications, follow our doctor’s recommendations, and learn as much as we can about the problems that we have to live with and are affecting our lives on a daily basis.
By doing simple things like knowing what their medications are, and understanding what they do will help seniors be independent with the management of their health. By eating a healthy diet that supports their medication regimen will help them stay independent in their homes longer. By making it a point to stay functionally strong by exercising will help them move about their home with confidence and decrease the potential for injury.
AIP is possible and preferable in many, if not most, cases, but to do so requires consistent attention and planning. It needs to be a family affair approached with open communication, understanding, and a willingness to do what it takes to make the home as safe as possible.
Bryan Williams
Physical Therapist
is a licensed therapist with near 30 years of professional experience treating a diverse patient population in a multitude of settings. With simple strategies, he educates and empowers his clients with simple strategies to help them move better and with less pain.