Preparing to Age in Place

Posted by edsutton @edsutton, Apr 23 7:58am

Many of us in the Aging Well Support Group express similar concerns. We are currently doing o.k. in our homes, on our own, but recognize that disabilities may be on our horizons.
Can we be reasonably proactive about this?
What can we do to stay in our homes as long as possible?
What can we do to gracefully reach out for assistance when we need it?
What can we expect the costs will be as we try to imagine the economies of our lives as we age?
What modifications can we make now that will make life easier when we have less strength and energy?

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Aging Well Support Group.

Unexpected:
My wife has been editing the all-purpose counter in the kitchen. She selected more than half of the cookbooks "to go," offered them on the neighborhood email list, and within 20 minutes they were on their way to a new home.
Today she received a new Grandma themed shirt with grandkids names. I'm surprised how much I liked it!

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I definitely recommend being able to live on one floor of the house. That includes food, sleeping area, and shower. It's hard to go up and down stairs constantly and increases risk of catastrophic falls down a flight of stairs.

Lowe's now has a program where they can have someone do an assessment and make the modifications. Or I think you can have an occupational therapy assessment to see how your space can be modified. But start thinking about all of your activities of daily living and think about how you would do all of them as you get older. Some are basic like using the bathroom. But others are functional like taking care of your bills and driving.

I'm doing the same things now even though my parents are still alive. I am fixing up a bedroom downstairs for my mom. I'm thinking of adding a shower in my laundry room because we don't have a shower on the main level. My mom can use it now but eventually I think I will need it too.

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I hope everyone is able to stay cool in this heat wave.
What we're experiencing now is likely to be typical summer weather for the rest of our years, so we would be wise to take this chance to consider how we will cope with extreme heat.

We were especially lucky that our home came with geothermal heating. It's not something we would have installed on our own, but we are grateful for it, as our heating and cooling costs are quite low. The cost of this is maintenance inspections every six months and the possibility of expensive replacements some day. All the houses in our neighborhood were built with similar geothermal service, so we get good advice by sharing our geothermal news up and down the sidewalk.

The north side of our house has large windows for solar heat in the winter. For summer I've added a sun sail, just large enough to shade the windows when needed. (Low cost if you can use a prefab size.)

A week ago there was a 36 hour advisory from the county water service that water should be boiled before drinking. Water in the river has gotten low, and there was concern for backflow pollution. Fortunately water tests showed it was o.k. and the advisory was lifted, but not before supermarkets were sold out of bottled water. So now we are stocking at least a few gallons of emergency water, at least enough to keep us hydrated for a week if needed. Looking into filter systems, we could not find anything affordable that really filters microorganisms.

We're doing our dog walking mornings and evenings, not as fast or far as usual and following the shade as much as possible.

What concerns and methods have folks used to deal with extreme heat? What are your future concerns...and hopes?

Stay cool!!!

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@SusanEllen66

Isn’t it amazing how our society is so different from the ones who have their elders living with them.

I’m 74 years old, and have been living solo for 6 years. I absolutely love the freedom!
Three years ago I was diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment. I was doing well for a while, but about one year ago I noticed some strange behaviors. I also became off balance, my eyes had problems focusing so I started using cane, then a walker.

First I was diagnosed with Ataxia (balance and vision), then my neurologist did extensive testing for dementia.
Three weeks ago I was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Dementia (mild)!

Now living alone, being off balance, and having double vision is making life interesting. Oh, and I cannot drive anymore. I am managing!
There is the Volunteer Group, “Helping Hands” that provides me with free rides to appointments. I found a woman hairstylist who cuts my hair in my home. I’m using Meals on Wheels so I can get a meal instead of a snack for dinner.

Now the question is, how long will I’ve able to run my own “show”? I’m hoping to hang on for as long as I can.

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I have friend who has same problem as you. She hired a person to clean and make meals , then stick in freezer, so she has at least dinner.
Have you tried a caregiver agency. . It can get expensive, or a reverse mortgage if own a house.

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@joybo99

I love this story!
I was an avid walker and race walker for many years before slowed down by Multiple Sclerosis. My health has declined dramatically since age 50, I went on parliament disability in my mid fifties, and I will be 70 this year.
I'm pretty much housebound but no wheelchair. So I walk when I can but slowly.
I'm envious of your good fortune and wish you continued good health and many more happy years. & thanks for your response!

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What is parliament disability? Never heard of it. Is it in Canada?

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@edsutton

I hope everyone is able to stay cool in this heat wave.
What we're experiencing now is likely to be typical summer weather for the rest of our years, so we would be wise to take this chance to consider how we will cope with extreme heat.

We were especially lucky that our home came with geothermal heating. It's not something we would have installed on our own, but we are grateful for it, as our heating and cooling costs are quite low. The cost of this is maintenance inspections every six months and the possibility of expensive replacements some day. All the houses in our neighborhood were built with similar geothermal service, so we get good advice by sharing our geothermal news up and down the sidewalk.

The north side of our house has large windows for solar heat in the winter. For summer I've added a sun sail, just large enough to shade the windows when needed. (Low cost if you can use a prefab size.)

A week ago there was a 36 hour advisory from the county water service that water should be boiled before drinking. Water in the river has gotten low, and there was concern for backflow pollution. Fortunately water tests showed it was o.k. and the advisory was lifted, but not before supermarkets were sold out of bottled water. So now we are stocking at least a few gallons of emergency water, at least enough to keep us hydrated for a week if needed. Looking into filter systems, we could not find anything affordable that really filters microorganisms.

We're doing our dog walking mornings and evenings, not as fast or far as usual and following the shade as much as possible.

What concerns and methods have folks used to deal with extreme heat? What are your future concerns...and hopes?

Stay cool!!!

Jump to this post

I've had dogs in the past and I miss them so much.
But I have to admit that in this weather it's relief to NOT "have" to walk a dog.
And since I'm not a morning person, I find myself outdoors at 7 or 8 p m doing whatever outside chores are needed.
During the day I enjoy having a powerful fan on my covered deck o make the heat more bearable.
And I keep cold Gatorade on hand for outside workers or the post person.
I don't know what geothermal heating is, but lucky you!
I don't look forward to seeing upcoming power bills. Stay well stay cool.

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@funcountess

I have friend who has same problem as you. She hired a person to clean and make meals , then stick in freezer, so she has at least dinner.
Have you tried a caregiver agency. . It can get expensive, or a reverse mortgage if own a house.

Jump to this post

@funcountess
I’ve hired people who clean the house once a month.
My dinners come frozen from a company who claims “real food”. All I have to clean up is my fork.

I am still waiting to see a Neurologist who specializes in Movement Disorders. Until I know how my Ataxia will affect me in the future, I’m waiting on future plans.

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@edsutton

I hope everyone is able to stay cool in this heat wave.
What we're experiencing now is likely to be typical summer weather for the rest of our years, so we would be wise to take this chance to consider how we will cope with extreme heat.

We were especially lucky that our home came with geothermal heating. It's not something we would have installed on our own, but we are grateful for it, as our heating and cooling costs are quite low. The cost of this is maintenance inspections every six months and the possibility of expensive replacements some day. All the houses in our neighborhood were built with similar geothermal service, so we get good advice by sharing our geothermal news up and down the sidewalk.

The north side of our house has large windows for solar heat in the winter. For summer I've added a sun sail, just large enough to shade the windows when needed. (Low cost if you can use a prefab size.)

A week ago there was a 36 hour advisory from the county water service that water should be boiled before drinking. Water in the river has gotten low, and there was concern for backflow pollution. Fortunately water tests showed it was o.k. and the advisory was lifted, but not before supermarkets were sold out of bottled water. So now we are stocking at least a few gallons of emergency water, at least enough to keep us hydrated for a week if needed. Looking into filter systems, we could not find anything affordable that really filters microorganisms.

We're doing our dog walking mornings and evenings, not as fast or far as usual and following the shade as much as possible.

What concerns and methods have folks used to deal with extreme heat? What are your future concerns...and hopes?

Stay cool!!!

Jump to this post

@edsutton heat is brutal here in the summer months. I don’t know where you are, but it’s 110F degrees here today.
This time of year, we go out early, and try to stay inside all day. The vehicles become an oven when parked outside in the sun. The steering wheel, and seatbelt buckle will burn your fingers. You’ll wish you had oven mitts on.

However, the rest of the year is gorgeous. We are out playing by our pools on Thanksgiving and Christmas! Golfers love it here.

It’s all a frame of mind here. We need to switch Summer for Winter. If you can do that, you will be happy!

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My wife Dianne found this FEMA web site, which has extensive information about preparation for heat, weather and other disasters.
https://www.ready.gov

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@funcountess

What is parliament disability? Never heard of it. Is it in Canada?

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They probably meant "permanent disability."

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