Successful Aging-in-Place

Article submitted by Seniors Resource Guide staff.

As we grow older, one of our greatest fears is the prospect that one day we may need to leave our home. This could mean leaving not only the comfort and source of many fond memories, but also losing our sense of control. In many ways our homes provide a sense of security and independence. In our home we decide what and when to eat, the time we go to bed and who comes to visit. This control is a source of dignity and quality of life. However, with the ever increasing cost of living, combined with the rising life expectancy of Americans, remaining in our homes has become an ongoing challenge and primary concern for many seniors and their families.

The ability to live ones life out at home may require services ranging from home modification - making the home more senior friendly, to a wide array of home based health care products and other services designed to maintain a happy, healthy, and secure environment. Financial resources will also be needed to cover the costs. Clearly in our community these innovations, products and services exist. The difficulty is often identifying what is needed, and finding them when they're needed most.

Successful aging-in-place usually translates into how one can stay in their homes longer and safer. Colorado's increasing number of older persons and younger people with disabilities require major efforts to adapt existing home environments. The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) found that over 90% of the respondents want to remain in their homes. Aging, especially with a disability, and also the young with disability, are very interested in strategies for successful "aging-in-place". Unable to continue living safely in our homes increases the chance of accidents and unnecessary injury, cost, further disability and often undesirable expensive institutionalization.

There are home improvement companies that conduct a personal health and living space assessment and determine what home modifications would increase the safety and comfort of the homeowner. The proposed modifications will substantially extend the amount of time elderly homeowners will be able to live safely in their homes, increase the accessibility and functionality, and reduce the chances of debilitating accidents. These can often be paid for through reverse mortgages. the stress and worry that comes with both roles.

In 2003 a group of Washington DC based professional associations joined forces to raise awareness of these issues and bring together a nationwide coalition of professionals from the private, public and non-profit sectors. In November 2003, the National Home Builders association, the National Advisory Council on Aging, and the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association spearheaded the first annual National Aging in Place Week. The first year featured a variety of educational and informational events in seven US cities. In 2004 Colorado was among 30 cities to sponsor events, and in 2005, the number of cities, and the scope and magnitude of activities in Colorado and nationwide, are expected to double.

The 2005 National Aging in Place week will be held on November 12th at Total Longterm Care Cody Center from 9am to 1pm.. A wide range of private, public and non-profit agencies at several venues will sponsor various activities. These events will provide participants with the opportunity to learn about the products, services, and resources available in our local community to assist seniors and their families with a wide range of needs. As plans develop a calendar of events will be posted on this website. Additional information will also be available by calling 303.393.1971.

To understand even more clearly the importance of National Aging in Place Week, one only need review some recent findings regarding our aging population. One in five Americans are now over 55. In three years, 10,000 people a day in our country will turn 65. According to AARP, 85% of seniors' surveyed want to live out their lives at home, however nearly 92% express concern to do so financially. According to an analysis of the 2000 homeownership data collected for the Federal Health and Retirement Study, of the 27.6 million senior households, with homeowners 62 or older, 75% already had health or financial issues that, the senior believed, could jeopardize their ability to remain in their home. Further analysis revealed that nearly half (13.2 million) of those households would qualify for a reverse mortgage providing nearly 1 trillion dollars in much needed financial support for those same homeowners. This alone reveals how wide the gap between the need for resources and the level of awareness about the resources currently available. In fact, surveys have shown that only 31% of senior homeowners know about reverse mortgages, and of those 87% expressed uncertainty and shared common misconceptions about the program.

Let's face it, in order to realize the Yiddish proverb "Old age to the unlearned, is a winter, to the learned, a time of harvest", we need to think ahead, plan and prepare for the inevitable. There are reasons why we live long lives.