Today, 90% of all Americans over 50 years of age, regardless of age, race, income or health status, want to maintain their independence by staying in their homes. This dominant preference varies from the reality of being over 80 years old in the U.S., where the majority of elderly in this demographic live in a retirement community or assisted living facility. These findings came to light when Capital Caring Health, a leading nonprofit provider of elder, advanced illness, and hospice care, partnered with WebMD, a leading online resource of health information, to poll Americans over 50 about their plans to live out their golden years.
Baby Boomers and others over 50 who responded to the survey prefer to “age in place” even as their need for personal care and health-related assistance expands. This concept is so popular that October has been designated National Aging in Place Week, October 11-16.
However, how can aging Americans with escalating and changing assistance requirement stay in their homes safely? Home care refers to a wide range of personal assistance, healthcare-related support and technology-based health care. Telemedicine and remote patient monitoring can help aging Americans get the medical help they need without ever leaving home.
Individuals of a certain age need a network of individuals, agencies and local community resources to care for them. However, being able to afford the care they need is a top concern for Americans over 50 according to that same survey.
Home care agencies, such as Kadan, build a support team of healthcare professionals with extensive experience in elder care to provide what clients require in their own homes. Varying levels of care and a range of services are available under the home care model. For example, Companion Care allows seniors to count on a trusted caregiver for help with maintaining an active lifestyle as well as their social wellness. A trusted caregiver can help with meal planning and preparation, medication reminders, the organization of mail and paperwork, and even take care of pets and houseplants. Light housekeeping and laundry duties would also fall to a companion caregiver, freeing the elder from these physically intensive activities.
Older Americans needing a higher level of personal care can look to Personal Care Services for assistance aimed at the successful completion of activities of daily living (ADLs) such as bathing, grooming and hygiene; exercise; meal planning and cooking; incontinence management; and transportation and transfers to and from medical appointments and facilities. Often, clients of a certain age are dealing with multiple chronic health conditions that require this more comprehensive level of care.
Today’s integrated healthcare systems often operate physician and surgeon office facilities, hospitals, outpatient facilities and rehabilitation centers who are united under a single provider name but include physical locations scattered over a wide locale. Transferring patients across and around these facilities can be confusing and stressful for the senior, often leading to readmissions and emergency department visits that could have been prevented with tight coordination and attention to detail. Transition Programs can make these transfers, even multiple transfers, a staged and seamless experience for the patient and his or her family. As a result, patients return home with confidence that they are well on their way to recovery.
Making the decision to age in place is easy – it’s what most Americans want. The challenge comes in thinking ahead and taking action to develop a plan to age in place before it’s needed. A great place to start your plan is to examine your home in its current state to see what changes need to be made to make your house a forever home. For help, consider this aging in place roadmap from the National Institute on Aging.
