The National Association of Home Builders offers information on creating a safe, accessible home for those people wishing to age in place. As people get older many find it important to be in familiar surroundings. Included are questions the home owner should ask like what things are needed in the home in order to age safely. There is a checklist provided on how to choose a remodeler. Additional questions are included that the homeowner should consider asking in order to get exactly what they need. There are Certified Aging-in-Place specialists that are trained in this specific area.
This is a current (2013) piece by PBS that talks about how seniors can 'age in place' in their home by being in touch with programs that come together to help each other with ADLs and IADLs. For example, the Capital Hill Village is a group of seniors who work together to make sure they are all taken care of in their home. This means that someone can volunteer to count pills, garden, or even take them to the doctor. The most important benefit of this group seems to be the social relationships and connecting with people. As OTAs we need to educate oursleves on what type of community programs are available so we can educate the elderly on how to more safely and soically age in place. Also, at the end of the clip it talks about home assessments and how everyone needs a plan for aging!
This is an article that discusses aging in place. It goes into specific detail about what OTs do and their involvement with aging in place. It also talk about CAPs (Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist) and the role they take on with aging in place. I found it to be pretty interesting on this subject.
This is a whole website dedicated to Aging in Place. They say it is their "mission is to provide Caregivers, Seniors, and Baby Boomers resources for aging in place." There is a blog that gives valuable advice, information, and support. You can even order AE on this site for convenience. I thought this gave a nice all encompassing look at aging in place.
This page from the AOTA website contains links to various topics associated with the aging adult. These are tip sheets that explain different conditions and how OT can help. These include aging in place, living with Alzheimer's, fall prevention, hip replacement, home modification, low vision, driving and stroke. In addition to the tip sheets, there are links to videos for aging in place, home modification and precautions the elderly can take to prevent falls in the home. This is a great place to look to obtain a lot of good information on a variety of problems the elderly can face and how occupational therapy can help this population.
I found this website is very interesting because like most of us I have an older parents.The one of the most difficult decisions children have to make is to place his or her aging parent in long term care facility. This website provides different tips on how to keep seniors in their regular place of residence as long as possible. The organization PACE that covered under Medicare or Medicaid provides necessary services, include adult day program, transportation, activities and medical help. As a future OT practitioners we may recommend this website to our clients.
This is a tip sheet I discovered on the AOTA website. It provides very useful tips for helping your older parent remain at home and age in place safely, as well as ways to approach the topic with them. I really loved the idea of presenting home modifications as gifts. This tip sheet is of particular interest to me as my mother slowly descends into the world of Alzheimer's disease.
This webpage offers information as to the benefits of aging in place. I didn't realize how cost effective it is to age in place rather than going to an assisted living or nursing home. Not only the accessibility of the home but also the technology that would need to be learned for the homeowner to receive the care and emergency help when needed.
This semester we had a discussion about older adults and how to help them prevent fells as they age in place. This website gives a detailed list and tips you want to remember to help an older adult prevent falls so that they may age in place safely.
NAHB: Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist Houses for Living. Homes for Life. American's are getting older - 88 million people will be over 60 within the next 15 years according to AARP, which also reports that 83% of middle-aged Americans wish to live in their homes indefinitely rather than an assisted living facility.
As we age, our needs and interests evolve and change, so our choices of housing should be wide ranging, as should be the spectrum of activities and services. Most older adults wish to remain in their homes and communities as they age.
I chose this article because when I was at Keystone, an adult day program in Oak Ridge, I saw the benefit of this program in allowing seniors with physical and cognitive deficits to remain at home, or in assisted living, for longer periods of time. I liked this article's emphasis on integration of many programs to age in place successfully.
Although we seldom think about them this way, most American communities as they exist today were built for the spry and mobile. We've constructed millions of multi-story, single-family homes where the master bedroom is on the second floor, where the lawn outside requires weekly upkeep, where the mailbox is a stroll away.
I found this really interesting as we're discussing ageing in place and accessibility in housing. One wonders how society as a whole will handle this issue as a huge demographic ages.
Since we have been talking about aging in place, checl out some of these latest gadgets. I always thought of it as remodeling your home and being comfy in your home. There is so much more to it. Check out these gadgets. Everything from monitoring sleeping habits to knowing how many times a day you brush your teeth.
Here is a room-by-room checklist of steps you can take if someone in your family is impacted by a lasting injury, disability or age-related physical challenges. Many of these improvements will also make your home safer and more comfortable for able-bodied residents and guests alike, as well as potentially increase its value.
This article provides a checklist for making a home accessible. It begins with simple solutions for ensuring safety and also recommends contacting someone that has a Certified Aging in Place Specialization (CAPS) that can help design the home to meet visibility and universal design. I think it will be important for us to be skilled in assessing a clients home to help enable them to age in place.
I know we are past aging in place by a little bit, but I came across this again and wanted to share! A really interesting outlook on aging in place in a mock village for dementia patients. The patients live on site in their own apartments which they are aided in managing independently. The town has everything from grocery stores to movie theaters. Nursing staff dress in plain clothes to give the environment a "real-life" feel and encourage patients to operate on their own schedule. This is currently in the Netherlands, but how cool would it be to have OT's work in something like this!
This article supports OT in aging in place. This article provides evidence that the I-HOPE is an effective tool when evaluating barriers that elderly individuals are faced with as they age in their homes. By using the I-HOPE evaluation, it ensure the ability for individual to make adjustments and remain in a safe home environment. Safety evaluations are (I think) a billable service.