Is Aging in Place the Right Solution for You?

Figuring out your long-term care plan depends largely on where you choose to live. Aging in place offers seniors the chance to retain independence by remaining in their own homes. When creating your own long term care plan, you will face a series of decisions. Choosing where to live as you get older might feel like a difficult choice.

This article will explore the concept of aging in place. Once you decide whether you want to age in place at home or find a care facility, you can start to build in other parts of your care plan. Helpful tools, like a medical alert system, will fit seamlessly into your lifestyle and support you as you age in place. Read on to figure out if aging in place is the right decision for you.

What Is Aging in Place?

Aging in place is a living arrangement option for a senior long-term care plan. If you choose to age in place, it means that you will live in your own home for as long as possible. Over 75% of seniors aged 50 and older prefer to remain in their own homes as they age[1]. 

Many seniors will need to make some changes to their home in order to live there comfortably in old age. If you are able to make your home more senior-friendly, aging in place is a comfortable option. You might choose to age in place until you feel it is time to move to a senior care facility for more advanced care. 

Aging in place is also a wonderful option for seniors who live with other family members or friends, as loved ones can help provide some of the caregiving that a senior facility might provide, such as meals, laundry, and housecleaning. Another potential care structure might be aging in place with the aid of a professional caregiver or care team that visits one or more times each week. 

The Benefits of Aging in Place

• You can hire help for specific tasks. While you might not have the luxury of a care facility’s dedicated care team, you can still hire help as needed. For example, you could hire a grocery delivery service if you no longer feel comfortable driving. You could hire a meal service if you don’t want to cook, and a cleaning service if you don’t feel physically up to housekeeping anymore.
• Living at home is more comfortable for many people. If you feel strongly about living at home, it probably means that you feel comfortable there. Whether you raised a family the home, have fond memories there, or just love the property, aging in place affords you more time in a memorable place[2]. Oftentimes, it’s not just the actual home itself that seniors find comforting, but the community they have built while living there. 
• Senior care facilities are often expensive. Aging in place is a cost-effective option for people who cannot afford high-priced living arrangements. Both assisted living and nursing home facilities are costly options.
• You maintain a sense of independence. You can’t put a price tag on feeling free. This is one of the most significant benefits that aging in place offers. By living at home, you are able to maintain personal space, make all of your own choices, come and go as you please, and manage all the details of daily living. A medical alert pendant or bracelet for the elderly can help support your independence by enabling you to live at home while providing access to assistance 24/7/365.

The Disadvantages of Aging in Place

• The same level of caregiving is not available at home. Nursing homes and assisted living facilities offer a level of care that loved ones often cannot provide. Aging in place makes the most sense for seniors whose health does not need intensive management or support.
• Home maintenance can become overwhelming. You might have a family member or friend who is willing to help out with home maintenance, but the sheer number of tasks might be too overwhelming even with help. Cleaning the house, shopping, and cooking meals can present challenges to someone who may have difficulty moving around or spending long periods of time on their feet.
• Emergency response might be slower. If you live alone, it could take longer for someone to realize if you’ve had an emergency and need help. A medical alert system is ideal in such situations. The immediate emergency response provided by an in-home medical alert system means you will never have to worry about getting help whenever it is needed. 
• You might experience feelings of loneliness, stress, or depression. Loneliness is a serious health issue, and it affects seniors disproportionately. Aging in place requires a dedication to social upkeep. Senior care facilities often have built-in opportunities for socializing.

How to Make the Best Decision for Your Long-Term Care

Making a long-term care plan requires you to consider many aspects of your future care. Aging in place is a great option for many seniors, but will it work for you? Here are several questions you should consider as you determine if aging in place is the right solution for you:

1.     Will you need to make any renovations to your home in order to age in place? As you age, you may need different living accommodations than you did when you were younger. Your abilities will change, which means, if you plan on aging in place, your home may need to change, too. Does your home have stairs? A long driveway? Lots of landscaping? Is it easy to get around?

2.     What is your care plan budget? Your long-term care plan comes with a price tag. Aging in place is typically the cheapest choice. The Genworth Cost of Care Survey reports that assisted living costs, on average, $4,300 per month, or $51,600 annually. However, you should do a cost comparison if you have to renovate in order to stay at home. If the renovations turn out to be cheaper than a care facility, then aging in place makes sense. 

3.     What do you want your social life to look like? Take a realistic look at your social needs. Aging in place is most effective when you have a strong social network close to home. If you need lots of social interaction but your loved ones live far away, a retirement community might fulfill your social needs better.

4.     What is your emergency response plan? For example, what will happen if you fall or need immediate help for any reason? Many seniors age in place alone. If you plan on living by yourself, we recommend investing in your safety and protection with an In-Home + On-the-Go + Fall Detection medical alert system. A button alarm for the elderly is not simply for medical reasons—you can use it if you need the police, fire department, if you get locked out of the house, or any other reason. Creating an emergency response plan (and having the social and financial resources to do so) is an important part of aging in place, whereas a senior care facility will have emergency response protocol determined for you.

5.     How do you plan on integrating caregivers into your care plan should they become necessary? While you may be in perfect health today, in the future you may break a bone or develop a serious health condition. You would then require extra help to complete basic tasks, so you need to make sure you have the budget or social support for caregiving, should it become necessary someday. 

6.     How will you shop for groceries and prepare meals? Though you might currently have the strength and stamina to shop and cook for yourself, that may change over time. If you plan on aging in place, make sure to look into grocery delivery services or create a meal schedule with loved ones as a “Plan B.”

7.     Are you willing to consider living in a care facility? Some seniors refuse to live in a care facility. Other seniors develop severe health conditions that require round-the-clock care that a professional facility can provide. Work through possible scenarios with a loved one and figure out how you would like to respond to situations in which you might need more care than you do now. Talk to your loved ones about what would make you feel most heard, understood, and comfortable.

Review these questions with loved ones as you develop your care plan. The people who care about your well-being will provide valuable insight and perhaps suggest additions you should make to your care plan over time. 

A Medical Alert System is an Easy Addition to Your Care Plan

Part of your long-term care plan is not only determining where you will live, but what your budget will look like[3]. Making bigger financial decisions can be stressful but picking out a medical alert system shouldn’t be. You are making a budget friendly choice by choosing an Alert1 medical alert system. Our medical alert systems start at under $20/month.

A Medical Alarm Supports You 

One aspect of aging in place is that you’ll have less support at the ready. Using a medical alert system can relieve the insecurity that might come with this aspect of aging in place. If you need help for any reason, you press the button on your medical alert pendant and connect with a highly trained and certified agent at one of the Alert1 24/7 Command Centers. This agent will stay on the line with you until help arrives. 

Fall detection technology is a feature that you might find helpful, especially if you live alone. A sensor in the emergency alert system can detect if you fall and automatically notify a 24/7 Command Center for support. Choosing an emergency button alarm system with fall detection technology could make you and your loved ones feel secure about your access to help if something should go wrong at any time of the day or night. 

Picking a medical alert system depends on your living situation and personal needs. Ideally, your medical alert bracelet or pendant offers support whenever you might need it. For some seniors, that looks like having an In-Home + Fall Detection medical alert system. For others, it might mean using an On-the-Go Wrist Watch Medical Alert + GPS + Pedometer. 

As you determine where it’s best for you to live, you can add all sorts of helpful tools to make daily living safer and easier.