Aging in place has become one of the buzz phrases when it comes to senior care. Although it might seem like another catchy phrase designed to help boost sales, it’s actually a proven method of improving the quality of life that an older person experiences. This is especially true for those that have dementia or other cognitive impairments. Study after study shows that when someone struggling with this health issue has the ability to spend their days in a place where they are familiar and comfortable, their health–both mental and physical–does not decline as quickly.
That’s all well and good, but actually implementing an aging in place strategy is a lot different than talking about it. Hopefully, this brief blog post can help get you pointed in the right direction if aging in place is something that you would like to learn more about.
The first step in effective aging in place is to identify what your loved one’s needs are. You can’t help someone very well if you don’t know what things they will need help with. Working with a doctor or care specialist can be helpful here to ensure that nothing is overlooked. Once this is established, creating a list of people, organizations, and methods of meeting those needs is the next step. Resources to help with finances, or offsetting expenses, can also be added to this list. Care can be expensive, and having a way to help save money or cover costs can make life a lot easier.
Getting in touch with your local Chamber of Commerce might be a good way to start. Local organizations, both public and private, can help connect your family with the resources that you will need to allow a loved one to age in place. This can mean relying on your local Social Services or Senior Services department for help. It might also mean looking at local pharmacies that will deliver prescriptions, grocery stores that deliver, and other services that come to home to provide services. As seniors age, it often becomes more and more difficult to leave the house. Having resources that come to you makes aging in place a lot easier.
Every family’s needs are a little bit different. Don’t worry if you see something that works for another family that looks like it would be a disaster for yours. This doesn’t mean that you are doing something wrong, it only means that different people and situations call for different solutions when it comes to care.
This is one of the reasons why we are such strong advocates of in-home senior care. It’s not that in-home care is necessarily a higher quality of service than other types of care, but rather that it’s the kind of care that is easiest to customize to most closely meet the needs of the person receiving assistance.
We’d love to talk more about what we do and how it might help your family. Let us know if you’d like to talk more about in-home care, aging in place, paying for a loved one’s senior care, or anything else to do with care.
Leave a Reply