Six Factors to Consider if Your Senior Is Planning to Age in Place

If your elderly family member has expressed a desire to age in place for as long as possible, you might want to talk with her about some of the factors that can determine if that’s truly a good fit for her or now. This list is just a hint of what you might want to dig deeper into for her.

Your Senior’s Health

It’s important to look at your elderly family member’s existing and expected health issues. Are those health issues conducive to her continuing to live where she is now? If not, are there solutions that you can put in place that will help her to be safe and comfortable in her home?

Her Activity Levels

If your elderly family member is considering aging in place it’s also important to look at how well she can physically manage what that requires. She doesn’t have to take care of every single task herself, but if you’re going to hire personal care at home to help with specific tasks, it’s important to consider that now. Caregivers can help her with quite a lot, even if she’s not very active herself.

Whether Her Home Needs Modification

Home modifications may make your senior’s home perfectly suited to her needs as she continues to age. Some of the changes that might need to be made could involve bringing her room downstairs from the second floor or adding a ramp or handrails to make it easier to get around in the house. Try to think ahead as much as possible with home modifications to cover as much of your senior’s needs now and in the future as you can.

Your Senior’s Social Needs

Your elderly family member may feel as if her current location is perfect for her because it continues to meet her social and emotional needs. This can be especially true if she’s lived there for a long time or has a lot of friends or family members in the area. Staying put may make the most sense for her from an emotional standpoint.

What Your Senior Needs Help Managing

What does your senior need help handling now? If she’s starting to need assistance with things like bathing and grooming, then personal care at home can absolutely be the right answer. Personal care at home gives your senior help right away with the tasks that she needs the most help managing. As those needs change, the help she receives can also change.

Her Support Network

There are two aspects of your senior’s support network to consider. There’s her existing support system and what she might need in the future. Continuing to work with home care providers can help you to stay on top of what is working for your senior and what she might need in the future in order to have the support that she needs.

Ultimately, there’s a lot to balance out when you’re trying to help your elderly family member to have the best possible quality of life as she ages. Aging in place can very well be the perfect solution as long as she has the support that she needs.