You’ve worked hard to make your house your home, and now you don’t want to leave it.

What is ‘aging in place‘? According to the Journal of Housing for the Elderly, ‘aging in place‘ means not having to move from one’s present residence in order to secure necessary support services in response to changing need.

Most American seniors desire to stay in their homes for the rest of their lives. An AARP survey found this number to be greater than 80% of seniors. Several reasons are cited for this strong preference.

These include:

– comfortable environment

– feelings of independence

– convenience

– familiarity

– safety and security

– proximity to family

70% of seniors spend the rest of their life in the place where they celebrated their 65th birthday.

To age in place successfully, you need to plan. To accommodate physical, mental, and psychological changes that may accompany aging, physical changes should be made in your home.

To age in place, one should be aware of community help and services available to deal with increasing frailty or age related problems. They may also be needed in the event of illness.

Services can provide:

– Outdoor home maintenance and gardening

– Indoor home maintenance

– Cleaning and housework

– Driving to the store, doctor’s appointments, and other errands

– Homecare

– Meal preparation/ delivery services

– Bathing and dressing

– Personal care assistance

-Home nursing

– Emergency call/ response systems