Cache Valley Oxygen Blog What is Aging in Place?

What is Aging in Place and how it will affect you or someone you care for? Derrick Nelson C.E.A.C Certified Environmental Access Consultant Alpine Home Medical Equipment The first step to understanding how aging in place will affect you or someone you care for is to understand what aging in place is. The Center for Disease Control defines aging in place as "the ability to live in one's own home and community safely, independently, and comfortably, regardless of age, income, or ability level." Let's explore how this will affect you or someone you care for. The primary individuals looking to age in place are "Baby Boomers". "Baby Boomers" are people born during the between the years of 1946 and 1964. According to the U.S. Census Bureau (April 2014) there are 76.4 million baby boomers living in the United States. That being said, there is a very good chance that you are a "Baby Boomer" or that you know and/or care for a "Baby Boomer."Research conducted by the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) found nearly 90 percent of seniors want to stay in their homes as they age; this is "aging in place." Even if they begin to need day-to-day assistance or ongoing health care during retirement, 82 percent would prefer to stay in their homes. Only a few express a preference for moving to a facility where care is provided or moving to a relative's home. An AARP survey of seniors found housing features especially important in the later years as they begin to experience reduced eyesight, poor balance, reduced flexibility, etc.: o Bathroom aides such as grab bars (79 percent) o A personal alert system that allows people to call for help in emergencies (79 percent) o Entrance without steps (77 percent) o Lever-handled doorknobs (54 percent) Most of these features do not currently exist in most seniors' homes. Of seniors who have made modifications to their homes: o 70 percent said they did so for safety reasons o 65 percent wanted to make the home easier to use by all family members o 60 percent wanted to [...]