The phrase “aging in place” refers to living in a cherished home environment during the senior years. The benefits far exceed other residential options, such as a nursing home or assisted living facility. Here’s what your aging loved one gains by staying in his or her home throughout the golden years.
Prolongs Independence
The more your loved one is able to do independently, the better he or she retains that ability. Self-reliance promotes mobility, flexibility, and strength, and it also builds confidence. When your loved one feels pride in achievements, it boosts self-esteem. Even when he or she needs help with certain tasks, your loved one maintains a degree of control at home. Your loved one is still involved in decision-making and the power to shape his or her life, which preserves dignity.
- Tip – Within sensible boundaries, give your loved one options each day for what to eat, wear, and safely do.
Provides a Safe Environment
By recognizing familiar objects, your loved one may feel oriented to place. Items in their usual spots serve as memory nudges. Seeing these items may help your loved one remember how to perform daily tasks and navigate the home setting.
Constancy is vital for a loved one with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. Sameness gives an ordered appearance, staving off confusion and fear. A consistent home environment lends stability to the shifting identity caused by memory loss. To further promote security, pair familiar quarters with regular routines. Predictability may help your loved one feel in control, and knowing what to anticipate engages memory.
- Tip – Have your loved one follow a daily schedule for when to awaken, bathe, dress, eat, do fun projects, receive visitors, exercise, nap, engage in hobbies, play games, watch TV, and sleep.
Aging adults with Alzheimer’s disease can benefit from receiving professional Alzheimer’s care. Columbus seniors need regular mental stimulation when managing memory-related conditions, and a reliable in-home caregiver who has extensive training in Alzheimer’s care may be a great asset.
Promotes Social Closeness
After living in the same home for years, your loved one likely feels connected to his or her community. Contact with friends and family is essential for seniors, providing purpose and meaning to life. Verbal interactions sustain communication and language skills.
In socially active seniors, the rate of cognitive loss is 70 percent slower than in isolated ones. Plus, in seniors who participate in group activity either daily or weekly, the risk of dementia is 40 percent less than in older adults who keep to themselves. These are the findings presented in Social Participation and Its Benefits, a 2013 report by the Centre on Aging at the University of Manitoba.
Supportive relationships defuse tension and worry. Socializing aids senior health by spurring physical activity. When your loved one assists others, the contributions underscore his or her self-worth.
- Tips – Consider arranging transportation to programs at the local community or senior center. Your loved one may join fun group activities such as crafting, singing, exercising, playing games, and sharing meals. For a religious senior, enable regular attendance at a house of worship. The regional library likely has programming designed for seniors. If your extended family lives nearby, encourage them to visit your loved one.
Regular socialization may boost a senior’s overall health and increase his or her quality of life. If your aging loved one needs help maintaining a high quality of life while aging in place, reach out to Assisting Hands Home Care, a trusted provider of Columbus senior home care. Our caregivers provide transportation to and from medical appointments and social events, nutritious meal preparation, assistance with daily exercise, and help with everyday tasks like bathing, grooming, and light housekeeping.
Provides Customized Comfort
Due to age-related changes in sweat glands and blood vessels, seniors are prone to overheating. Being overheated may strain the heart and cause heat-related illness. Additionally, with thinning skin, aging adults are sensitive to cold. With these challenges to regulating body temperature, being comfortable is imperative for senior wellbeing.
Aging in place provides the perfect indoor setting. Your loved one may tailor the temperature, lighting, and furnishings to his or her preferences, eat healthy meals, and listen to music, TV, and radio at a volume that suits him or her.
- Tip – For a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease, ensuring comfort may prevent behavioral outbursts.
Increases Financial Savings
Compared to aging in place, the costs of assisted living and nursing home care are exorbitant. In the U.S., long-term facility expenses may be double that of home care services. With home care, you may hire a personal caregiver for an affordable number of hours and frequency.
If your loved one has paid off a mortgage, staying at home is much less expensive than facility care, even after investing in home modifications for safety. For an American senior who is 62 or older and has an existing mortgage, a reverse mortgage enables conversion of home equity to cash, eliminating monthly mortgage payments.
- Tip – In the U.S., delaying social security benefits provides greater income. From ages 67 through 70, each year of delaying benefits yields an 8 percent credit, increasing monthly payments. If your loved one waits until age 70 to receive benefits, the amount is 32 percent more than payments taken at age 66.
Many seniors prefer aging in place over moving to assisted living facilities. If your senior loved one needs assistance to remain safe and comfortable while living at home, reach out to Assisting Hands Home Care, a leading homecare services agency. Our dedicated in-home caregivers are able to assist with meal prep, bathing and grooming, exercise, medication reminders, and many other important tasks. To learn more about our premier in-home care plans, call us at 614-678-5887 today.
