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When it comes to upgrading your home for aging in place extended seniors living
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you can never start too early, but you can certainly start too late. In fact, it's rare that I see anyone begin the process of seniors upgrades at anything like an optimal time
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at least not without some coaching. And the thing is, installing items such as grab rails, a wheelchair access ramp
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toilet and shower enhancements, traction aids and such can make it so much easier and more pleasant to age in place
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So why do people procrastinate, even on these simple upgrades? One reason is, while it's true that upgrading your home for aging in place is important
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it's also never urgent, at least not until the need arises, but by then it's too late
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By the time the urgency is felt, the ever-increasing need for more modifications
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almost always outstrips the ability of homeowners to make those changes happen
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And this is why I recommend you begin now, with clear thinking about what future you'd like for yourself
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None of us can decide this with absolute certainty, but it is your responsibility and mind to do everything we can to take charge of the future of our living conditions as best we can
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And if your goal is to delay or even eliminate the nursing home for yourself altogether then there are many great things that can be done The only thing that can be done is rolling back the hands of time so you could begin all this a few years earlier The true story coming up next is as typical as it is instructive
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Back in 2013, my wife, Mary, noticed something wasn't quite right with her dad
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Within a year, everyone came to recognize that he was descending into dementia
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His condition was mild at first and the lovely single-story house he used
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shared with my mother-in-law worked fine for a while. They'd moved from the large two-story home
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they raised their kids in into a smaller place suitable for aging, or so they thought. Everything
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important was on the same ground floor level. The house was in a gated community with services
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for clearing snow and cutting grass, and the place was relatively new and in great condition. Like I said
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this was their aging in place plan, and it all worked for a short time except for one thing. Aging
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doesn't stop. Slowly at first, then gathering speed over the next few years, the house was getting
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less and less suitable. What if dad gets up in the night and turns on the stove? What if he goes
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outside by himself and wanders off? What if he opens the basement door and falls down the stairs
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when everyone is asleep Worries were everywhere The house needed to be different to put all these real fears to rest but it wasn different In fact the small one so senior house they moved into
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offered no benefit over the big old place. Truth be told, they were now worse off because they were much farther from family
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Isn't this the way things deteriorate in life, gradually at first and suddenly
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It wasn't long before Dad's condition outstripped the capabilities of this ordinary, senior
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house to support him. And even with hired outside caregivers, things weren't working. That's why he had
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to move into a nursing home by himself, leaving mom at home alone the first time in more than 60 years
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they'd been apart. That was hard. Could things have been easier? Yes, quite a bit easier
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but only if guidance had been sought and practical modifications been planned and installed ahead of the
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need. This is the key realization that I took away from all this. Time
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is vital with these things, and procrastination is where most people miss the boat when it comes
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to equipping their place for aging in place. The nursing home is the all-too-common fallback
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Upgrades, such as an access ramp, barrier-free bathing capabilities, monitoring cameras, easy door handles low counter cabinets and even accommodation for live help can happen overnight The trick is to envision and imagine what you need ahead of time when you still able
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enough to do the work yourself or supervise someone else to do it for you
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Aiming ahead of the curve is essential when it comes to optimizing for your senior years at home
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and avoiding the nursing home. And since the need for this never seems urgent until it's too late
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many more people end up in expensive institutional care when an alternative was possible
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The full cost of living in the average North American nursing home is more than $100,000 a year without subsidies
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And while some people pay a subsidized fee of only $2,000 to $3,000 per month for nursing home accommodations
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even just a year of that kind of thing will pay for many helpful upgrades
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that can completely transform your golden senior years. The average person spends five years in a nursing home
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so it's well worth trying to find some alternative. If you want something better than the nursing home for your senior years
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email me at steve at stevemaxwell.ca. Tell me about your situation. Then let's connect by video call
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What you do about this today can make all the difference for your tomorrow
