5 Benefits of Aging in Place
The Big 5 "Whys"
- Comfort
- Indepedence
- Safety
- Cost
- Continuity
Why Age-In-Place?
The last two posts here at the GoldenFit Blog have dealt with the questions “What is Aging in Place” and “How can GoldenFit Homes help with the Aging-In-Place process.” Now it is time to turn to a perhaps even more fundamental question: What’s so great about Aging-In-Place?
1. Comfort
Many seniors have been in their homes for decades. With each passing year these homes acquired the signatures of their owners, creating a personalized residence impossible to replicate.
A deep sense of comfort and belonging is provided by the walls, furniture, and décor of the home that have served as the setting for a life’s journey. Many seniors find a new sense of comfort in their own skin as they enter life’s third act, and Aging in Place allows that sense of comfort to be matched with the comfort of a uniquely familiar home.
2. Independence
The universal desire for independence does not dissipate with age; if anything, it grows even stronger. Aging in Place allows seniors to prioritize what is important to them and remain in control of personal decision making.
With a little help and know how, seniors can continue to make their own decisions about what is important to them.
3. Safety
Senior living facilities offer many advantages when it comes to safety that should not be overlooked.
Aging in Place, however, also presents safety advantages that are often missed. Seniors know their homes—they know that one tricky step; know how the kitchen appliances work and where the light switches are; know where to duck and where to be mindful of a slippery floor. A move to an unfamiliar location will inevitably require learning of new dangers and challenges.
Certainly, seniors Aging in Place will need to reevaluate their homes in light of changes that come with growing older, one of the reasons we created the GoldenFit Assessment. But they can do so from a baseline of intimate knowledge of the particularities of their own home.
4. Cost
The cost of senior living facilities often comes as a shock to seniors and their loved ones. The AARP has created this helpful calculator that estimates these costs according to the important factors of location and level of support required—but a monthly rate of $3,500 ($42,000 a year) for a one bedroom is well within what once can expect.
What’s more, the average cost continues to increase year after year. Many of the benefits of an assisted care facility can be acquired for far less and be provided in the comfort of a senior’s home.
GoldenFit Homes can help seniors and their loved ones know what to look for and where to obtain senior specific products and services—and as anyone familiar with the status quo will tell you, that is half the battle. We will dig deeper into these costs in the next GoldenFit Blog post.
5. Continuity
The emphasis on the challenges presented by growing older often masks the fundamental continuity of a senior’s unique personality.
Assisted living facilities can give the impression that after a certain age human beings become sort of all the same, and thus a one size fit all approach makes sense. Any senior can attest that this is far from the truth.
The desires and preferences reflected in one’s home endure as one grows older, and in many cases become even more important to and valued by seniors. A premature move to an assisted care facility can often give seniors a sense that they are no longer what they once were, and may cause others to treat them differently.
Fundamentally, Aging in Place respects the essential endurance and continuity of human personality through the life cycle.
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