Aging in Place Means Staying at Home Even When it Becomes a Struggle
February 1, 2010 - Proceedings & Testimonies
“Aging in place” is the concept of being able to live in one’s own home as long as health and desire make it possible, instead of moving to an assisted living facility or a nursing home. You must have support – emotional and sometimes physical and financial – from family caregivers to do this. Families will go to great lengths to keep their loved ones at home by delivering long-term services and supports from the house for as long as possible.
In a 2002 presentation to the National Association of Home Builders, William Novelli, the then-CEO of AARP, encouraged the Association to think hard about building homes that elders could use comfortably and safely as they aged. “With a few notable and praiseworthy exceptions, contemporary American housing-from this particular point of view-has not changed at all,” Novelli said. “The advanced materials and the amenities notwithstanding, many brand-new and desirable houses and apartments have too much in common with houses built 100 years ago-when life expectancy was less than 50. Today, life expectancy averages nearly 80.” AARP in August 2009 offered a case study, No Place Like Home: Interior & Exterior, on “universal design”, in which a home was modified “to ensure a safer and comfortable living environment” for its senior owners.
Novelli’s remarks are available here .
AARP also has a data bank of Certified Aging in Place specialists, available through this link that can help with home modifications.
The Tennessean ran an in-depth two-part series showing the strong desire of people to “age in place”. Part one, “Elderly forgo assisted living, opt to stay at home,” profiles some elders and their families. Part two, “Programs lend seniors a hand to help them live at home longer ],”describes what one community group is doing, and its efforts to reach out to Hispanic residents of Tennessee.