How to help seniors age-in-place
Thanks to Katey, a Caring & Sharing reader for letting us know that there will be an aging-in-place exhibit at the Atlanta Home Show called, “Home for the Ages.”
Pouya Dianat / AJC
Many baby boomers are now facing the important issue of their parents’ desire to “age-in-place.” Simply put, their elderly parents wish to continue living in their own home, or perhaps move into their adult children’s home, versus moving into an assisted living facility. These seniors may need little to moderate assistance with daily tasks. Still, the impact on the adult children’s lives can be significant. So what are the most important things to remember when helping your senior parents age-in-place?
Major issues include housing and transportation options, financial status and healthcare needs. Many baby boomers are either retrofitting their parent’s home or their own home for their elderly parents to reside in, complete with details designed to help seniors move around the home safely and comfortably.
If you have renovated your parents house or your own home for your parents to reside in, what are the most important aspects to remember? Any tips or advice for those embarking upon the project?
6 comments Add your comment
After55Atlanta
June 30th, 2010
4:33 pm
Great article. The decision to move or choose ‘aging in place’ is not an easy one. Fortunately builders and remodeling companies are rising to the occasion and creating livable spaces no matter what you decide. We have a long way to go when it comes to services that are needed for aging in place, but if you watch closely, you will see that entrepreneurs are filling the gap quickly.
Tyson
June 8th, 2010
10:50 pm
I was at the convention in ATL in march. It was pretty good. It is difficult for indivduals to deal with that let alone handle finding a good assisted living facility. I ended up finding one at http://silvercensus.com
Taylor @ SilverCensus.com
May 27th, 2010
12:03 pm
Like Paul stated, it’s no surprise seniors would want to remain at home. Nobody want to be stuck somewhere that is not “home” to them, it would seem depressing. We took in my grandmother when I was younger and lived with my parents still. It was good to have her around, but at the same time a bit tough to make her happy day and night. It’s the right thing to do though i believe to take care of and make happy family.
Paul
December 21st, 2009
10:34 am
It’s no surprise that older people want to remain in their own homes, where they are comfortable and the setting is familiar. I would recommend considering transportation as part of your long-range planning when helping your senior parents age-in-place — because no matter how safe you make the home, your parents still want to be able to leave it.
There is a non-profit organization called ITNAmerica who gives rides to older people who choose to stop, or who just can’t keep driving–and they have affiliate branches throughout the country. It’s all about independence, and with the ITN service, seniors can still get their groceries, socialize, go to doctor’s appointments, etc… You can check it out at http://www.itnamerica.org.
Katey
March 19th, 2009
10:08 am
There is an entire exhibit at the Atlanta Home Show this weekend (March 20-22) on this very topic. It is called Home for the Ages. Bring your parents with you to help keep them involved (adults 65+ don’t have to pay for a ticket to the show).
Nancy
March 12th, 2009
8:34 pm
We converted a den into a sitting room and then added a wheel-chair accessible bedroom and bathroom for my 92 year old mother. The bed and bath are separated from the rest of the house by the den, which makes it more private for everyone. Mom likes to be able to look outside, so we put 2 windows in her bedroom that look out into the backyard. We try to keep a birdhouse or birdbath and flowers so that she can see activity out her windows.