Aging in Place Isn’t Just for “Older People”

Aging in place means a person being able to live in the place of their choice without losing their quality of life when they reach senior age. It requires you to plan for and make choices and preferences clear to family and friends. 

Planning out your future years before it become urgent and life changing gives you control over your independence, quality of life and dignity. It’s for responsible people who want to ensure their quality of life, without being a burden to their family or community.

A good plan that focuses on your quality of life and covers yourself, home, finances, care and other items should be created as early as possible. This plan should be maintained over time as your situation changes.

I doesn’t matter whether you have retired or not, this is something that you need to start thinking about and discussing right now. If you haven’t retired yet, it means you have time to think about your needs, research your options and put together a plan that is good for you and your family.  If you have retired, putting the time in to building a plan will help keep you in control of your life. Building a plan will help you deal with issues you will encounter down the road and ease some of the burden your loved ones will experience.

Those caring for or those that are planning to care for an elderly parent or loved one, have to think about this, too. You can be the most help by working with them now to ensure their needs are met and wishes are respected. It also will help you provide the level of care that is right for them, and show your respect to them by ensuring their needs are met and dignity is kept in tact.

Deciding you wish to age in place means you are choosing:
·         how you want to spend your retirement years
·         how you want your home to be set up
·         what your health care choices will be
·         which types of assistance are right for you
·         what your wishes are for major life events (sickness, housing transitions, financial decisions).

You don’t have to do everything yourself; that’s where the plan comes in. Planning it now means you get to plan how your needs are met, who meets them and when.  If you want things done your way, now is the time to start planning.