Aging in place? Planning is key

According to Aginginplace.org about 90% of seniors intend to remain in their current homes for the next five to 10 years.  Of surveyed seniors who planned to age in place, the most popular reasons for their preferences were “to stay in a home I like” and “to be near friends and family.”

 Of these individuals, 85% are confident that they can stay in their residences without making significant home modifications, but that number drops significantly after the age of 70.

 If you are hoping to stay in your home well into old age it is best to plan and prepare.  There are a variety of reasons people don’t plan ahead; they don’t know what help they will need, they have someone living with them to help with daily life, they don’t like the idea of appearing old or they don’t want or think they can afford to make changes in their home.  None of us likes the idea of becoming less independent as we age but ignoring our future needs only makes it more likely. 

 In the next few articles I will talk about what steps you can take to safely stay in your home as long as possible.  If you plan, prepare and know what services are available to you, hopefully you can stay put for as long as you would like.