(Newswire.net — September 18, 2019) — The most significant difference between aging in place and in a facility lies in the environment. Typically, this environment has a lot of influence in the aging process especially in the minds of the seniors. When they are left to age in an isolated condition, far from their known acquaintances and family members, they tend to sulk and slowly move into a state of depression and stress. This is totally unwanted for.
Aging in place, on the other hand, will provide them with all those things that they are familiar with and used to live in. This will have a serious effect on their aging process and they will not have to compromise with the situations and the fact that their lives have reached the ‘beginning of the end’ stage. They will be more graceful and confident while accepting this transition.
Make the necessary arrangements
All that is required to do is make some little tweaks in the settings in your home and use the best technologies that will ensure safety and security while you age peacefully and happily in your home.
- You may have spent the major part of your life building a home that is according to your liking and needs but that was when you were more active, physically able and had lots of new things to do in life.
- However, when you reach 65, the same home may not be as safe as it used to be when you were 35. Therefore, some changes are needed in your home now to make it’s suitable for you to age in it.
In addition to making your home suitable for aging, it is also required by you to work towards your retirement while the time is ripe and things are well within your control and manageable limits.
All these will ensure that you can do what you want when you stay at home. Staying at home typically allows seniors to:
- Be more independent
- Make their own decisions
- Live their own lives as they want and on a wide variety of topics.
Even if you hire a reliable and reputed live-in assistant or occasional in-home help, you will ideally be in charge of everything right from scheduling the daily activities to your food choices.
Common Issues with group living situations
On the contrary, while living and aging in a nursing home, bucks county area agency on aging or any other assisted living situation will mean you will essentially have to abide by and must comply with the predetermined set of group schedule, whether you like it or not.
Why do so when you can age successfully and independently in your home itself. This will help you to be self-sufficient and self-determined, which ideally is the only major wish of any aging senior.
In a few group living situations, there will be a few restrictions for sure on different aspects such as:
- On the living terms and conditions
- On dos and don’ts
- On visitors and even
- On meal times and types of foods provided.
These restrictions are even more and severe when and if you suffer from any medical conditions.
Merits of aging in place
On the other hand, if you decide to age in place, you will enjoy specific and wholesome benefits that will affect your mental and emotional conditions positively. Aging in place will allow you to exercise control over the entire settings that may involve things like:
- Remodeling
- Renovating
- Repainting
- Rearranging furniture
- Redecorating and even
- Controlling the thermostat of your air conditioning unit.
All these will not be possible in a nursing home setting or in any other living situations.
Therefore, aging in place is the best option for especially those seniors who need occasional help here and there and do not suffer from any severe medical conditions such as diabetes or heart attacks.
- Aging in place ensure maintaining independence as well as freedom in the best possible way for the seniors, even when some help is required.
- Aging in place will also allow you to choose who will help you and exactly how you want to be the processes to be followed.
These things will play a very significant role in specific aspects such as when you need help with your finance management. However, in such situations, it is extremely important to make sure that the aide working with you is reliable and has your best interests in mind and not theirs.
Use of technology
You can make the best use of technology when it comes to making an arrangement is your home to age there. There are lots of innovative and affordable technologies that you can use for this matter.
- These tools will help you to make the necessary changes easily, effectively and with much fewer efforts.
- These tools will also help you to make your home safer and more secure to prevent accidents and falls and in case such things happen, you get help and care readily.
You can use sensors and design at home that many seniors who are aging in place have so that you can easily and effectively redesign your home completely. These tools have the ability to redesign any existing home properly in order to fit in all of the best recommendations for aging in place that will enhance the process as well as make it safer for the seniors.
By integrating technology in your dwelling and not simply adding it on you will be able to reduce risks and even monitor your movements. The activity sensors installed all through your house will help you to live unassisted at home. You can place these sensors in several discreet locations in and around the house such as:
- Doors
- Windows
- Cabinets
- Beds and other places.
These sensors will track movements around the house and in case of an accident or fall will report back to the operator, the caretaker or your loved one.
That means you are free to move to your house more confidently, knowing that someone is there to care for you. what else do you want to age independently?