How to Age in Place Safely and Gracefully
By Space Coast Daily // December 13, 2020
Being able to spend your senior years inside your home where you are most comfortable and emotionally fulfilled is not totally out of reach. One of the biggest keys to making aging in place a reality is preparation.
Having necessary discussions with loved ones and making necessary lifestyle concessions before this time arrives can make the choice easy and seamless once this stage of life begins naturally, or because of an unforeseen occurrence.
Having a predetermined plan in place that can be executed swiftly removes the emotion from the decision-making process, because the tough choices have already been made with a mindset not dictated by emotion or urgency.
Household Considerations
Understanding how your present home needs to transition to become a healthy choice for your plan to age in place is essential. For example, even the presence of stairs can be a true obstacle that requires consideration. A residential elevator can take away a lot of this worry.
Installing one before you technically need it will allow you to understand how to operate it, as well as create comfort regarding the use of it over a generous period.
The price of residential elevators varies and determining how this will compare to your other options for this season of life can highlight for you that they are quite affordable and a sound investment.
After you have researched the price of residential elevators you will need to think about the circumstances regarding retrofitting one to your existing home as well.
Other functional considerations like the entry point into the home, handrails, tub and shower structures, and even loose cords and throw rugs all will also need to be addressed. Converting your familiar space into a safe place to grow old is a process. This is more evidence as to why a well thought out plan can make this process more enjoyable.
Utilize Technology
Embracing the technological advancements that can make your home safer and more efficient should be natural considerations.
Products like medical alert buttons that can sync up to the cell phone of a loved one as well as 911 are now commonplace in the conversation of gracefully growing old.
Other items like doorbells with cameras so you do not have to strain yourself to answer the door every time, and remote-controlled thermostats can be extremely helpful as mobility decreases with age.
Almost everything can now be controlled through a virtual home assistant and with most features only requiring a one-time set up, the maintenance level is exceptionally low.
These virtual assistants can also be shared between users, meaning your loved ones can access things like your grocery list, and do the shopping for you and all you need to do to create the list is simply use voice commands.
Technology can also make home deliveries more accessible so everything ranging from your dinner, to your daily medications, can be ordered and delivered right to you decreasing the need to leave your home when it is not convenient, necessary, or in some cases physically possible.
