Aging or growing older is something every living thing experiences; both animals, humans, and plants. Aging as a person can be something daunting as you wonder if you will age in place or if you’ll be removed from the place you have spent half of your life to someplace else. What does it mean to age in place?
Aging in place simply means the ability to live in your own home and community safely, self-standing despite age, income, and ability. Are there steps you can take to ensure you age in place? This post will highlight things you can do to help you age in place around your own community.
When To Start Planning Aging In place
Aging In place is important to many people and they seek to maintain their quality of life or even a better one when they reach a certain age and retire from active work. To achieve this, one must put in place sustainable financial and economic plans to be able to live as free as possible.
This should be done from the earliest working years. Although aging in place is usually used to describe people who are close to the age of retirement, it should concern everyone from the earliest years of one’s career. Plans for retirement should be put in as early as possible from your younger years and revisited and readjusted as your earnings increase or your needs and desires change.
Things That Can Affect Aging In Place
Growing old changes everyone. No one, no matter how fit you are and how much you take care of your body by eating right, exercising, and keeping your mind well-trained, aging changes you despite all this.
Some of the more common issues that affect aging in place are poor eyesight, and reduced muscle mass which causes more effortless loss of strength. Decline in mental capacity more prone to accidents due to bone fragility, and less balance while walking.
These changes are inevitable, whether it comes as early as 50 or you experience it until you hit 70. Planning for your future and the retirement community you’d like to spend it in with these eventualities in mind will leave you better prepared to deal with any challenges that may come at you due to the changes that come with aging. Aging in place well means you plan in advance for any future changes both physical, mental, and otherwise.
The Importance of Aging in Place
- Satisfaction
For many adults, their ideal old age picture is sitting at the fireside, surrounded by family and sipping hot cocoa. The idea of being removed from what they’ve known their whole life could be detrimental. At least 90 percent of older adults want to stay in their own home. This can help to increase the quality of their lives, give them a sense of satisfaction and boost their self-esteem.
- Independence
Aging comes with some physical and sometimes cognitive decline. This can make day-to-day living difficult for elderly adults. At some point, elderly adults need help from others to complete simple daily activities and tasks. Although at some point, total Independence of the elderly is impossible, with good support from family and professionals, your loved ones can enjoy some Independence and hold a certain control over their lives and have control over their routine.
