About the house News Letter

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Aging in place is a fairly new name for an old concept. Essentially, it is enabling our aging citizens to live at home in their golden and twilight years. To them, there wasn't a name for it; it was just something you did. If your parents and grandparents reached retirement age or became disabled, they lived at home

Over the years, the idea of taking care of one's aging family members has fallen to the wayside, and the population of long term care residents increased dramatically. In our new fast-paced society, children often live far away from parents and even when they are close, there simply wasn't time or resources to care for our aging relatives.

Now, with the demands upon the sandwich generation, knowing how long to help mom and dad keep their independence and when to help them move to a senior care facility is a gut wrenching decision in which the home's safety is a critical issue. In most instances, keeping the home safe creates a better quality of life.

Timing is also an important issue as the financial cost of long term care facilities is soaring. The life savings of seniors must meet the financial needs for a lifetime of care. Aging in place in safe housing preserves assets for future needs.

Home Health Agencies sprang up to meet the personal needs of seniors. While many advances have been made in Home Health Care, it only addresses half the needs of those who are aging in place. Medications and direct patient care have reached a high level of efficiency, but the missing element is often the home itself.

Social workers often work in conjunction with Home Health Agencies to address the safety concerns of the aging in place elderly. However, professional and dedicated their efforts, they understand the needs of the people, but not the home. They lack both the tools and training to recognize many of the defects such as an unsafe furnace, bad wiring or toxic mold.

This is where privatized senior home safety network inspectors can come into play. They can ensure that a home where a senior is aging in place is safe and secure from physical and health hazards. The inspectors understanding of the nature of the defects makes them well equipped to recommend the best corrective measures.

Our parents and grandparents lived through extraordinary times. They faced The Great War and The Great Depression. The environment that they grew up in bred a fierce sense of independence in them. The last thing they want is to feel helpless. Aging in place isn't just an option For them-it's a right.