Guest Blog: Reasons The Elderly Benefit From Aging in Place
In the movie classic, The Wizard of Oz, little Dorothy knew then what has become a staple in the lives of elderly seniors today; “there is no place like home!” Dorothy, the main character in the movie, was swept away by a tornado from her home to a far away fantasy land. The only way back home was for her to follow the directions of the Good Witch Glenda’s magic spell which required Dorothy to click her red shoes together three times and think of the phrase, “there’s no place like home, there’s no place like home, there’s no place like home!” Afterwards, she woke up from a deep sleep in her own bed and in her own home.
Today, roughly 90 percent of older adults aged 65 and over prefer aging in place rather than moving to an assisted living facility or nursing home according to a study conducted by AARP. Like Dorothy, these older people know what Dorothy knew then, that “there is no place like home”, and they plan to stay in their homes as opposed to living in a long term care facility.
What Does Aging In Place Really Mean?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines aging in place as “The ability to live in one’s own home and community safely, independently, and comfortably, regardless of age, income, or ability level.” Although aging in place is the new trend for senior living, changes to an elderly senior’s body due to aging, may pose a problem. However, with a few low-cost home modifications, the goal to age in place is easily achieved and the benefits from doing so are rewarding.
There are however, some seniors living with medical conditions and other limitations that may prevent them from performing normal activities of daily living on their own. If this is the case, they may need to seek assistance from a home care provider or a family member. With in-home care assistance for routine daily life activities, aging in place is still achievable in spite of those limitations.
3 Common Reasons Elderly Seniors Should Age In Place
Elderly seniors choosing to age in place are doing so for any number of reasons. Even though assisted living facilities have been on the rise since 1979, over a million Americans are opting out of that option. Here are five common reasons why:
1. The growing high cost of living in an assisted living facility!
According to LongTermCare.gov, the average cost for a one bedroom at an assisted living facility is over $3,000 a month. Of course, this price may increase if additional services beyond the basic ones mentioned in the contract are needed. For example, if the resident requires assistance from a healthcare provider or home health aid. This service could add an additional $1,600 a month. Therefore, staying in your own home will definitely save money, even if you had to hire a personal care provider. In most cases, an elderly person’s medicare will cover part or all of the cost of home healthcare.
2. Aging in place is more comfortable!
Living in your own home is much more comfortable. All the treasures you hold dear are in your long term home. In fact, the American Society On Aging found that 56 percent of seniors 65 to 74 years old and 63 percent of those 75 years old and older reports that the “emotional” value of their home is worth more to them than the sales value. This is most likely because their home may be the same home they raised their children in and the memory recall is priceless.
3. Aging in place offers more independence!
Maintaining an independent lifestyle is very important to the elderly population. The ability to go where you want, when you want is a very liberating feeling and doesn’t diminish your quality of life. Responsible adults do not like being told what they can or cannot do. In assisted living facilities, meals are served at a certain time of day, activities are scheduled around their schedules and outside visitors are monitored which can be intrusive.
Just like little Dorothy, “there is no place like home” for today’s elderly seniors choosing to age in place. The benefits for doing so are very rewarding. Aging in place offers elderly seniors an opportunity to save money to enjoy life’s extra pleasures as well as allows them to enjoy the comforts of living at home. In addition, aging in place allows elderly seniors to maintain their independence.
Don’t Wait for the Crisis…
Rose’s family knew that she was having some memory problems as well as balance issues when walking, but they told themselves that she was getting long okay and was safe to stay at home alone. After all, of Rose’s three grown children, only one lived near her, and all the kids had their own families to tend to in addition to working. Rose told herself this as well. She didn’t want to be a burden to her kids and she didn’t want anybody in her house. She was 86 but she could still take care of herself…until one day.
That one day, Rose was in the attic trying to get down some Christmas ornaments. She was standing on a chair and fell, crashing to the floor. Rose felt a searing pain down her leg and she wasn’t able to stand up. She lay there crying, not knowing what to do. She felt so confused. There was no phone in the attic, and no windows to call out for help. She couldn’t get herself up and every time she moved, it hurt so bad that she stopped trying. Rose lay on the cold, wooden floor of that attic with no food, water, or help for 2 days before the neighbors got worried and called the police and her family. By the time they found her, Rose was confused and dehydrated, in bad shape. She had broken her hip when she fell, had a mild concussion and bruised ribs as well. She spent a week in the hospital and then another 3 weeks in a rehabilitation unit within the nursing home after hip surgery to repair the fracture. During her hospitalization, she was diagnosed with middle stage Alzheimer’s dementia. When it came time for discharge from the rehabilitation unit, Rose’s children felt she was no longer safe to stay at home alone and sent her to a memory care unit in a local nursing home. Rose felt like she had done something wrong. Because she fell, she could no longer live in her home and she felt her children didn’t care about her. She didn’t get to set her affairs in order or say goodbye to her beloved home and neighbors.
Recently, I have noticed this alarming trend in the care of older adults. Family members know a crisis is coming, but still they wait. They wait to get help into the home. They wait to tell the doctor what is going on. They don’t seek help or even want to talk about the physical and mental problems they see in their older parent. The older adult is afraid of losing independence so she hides her problems. Sometimes the older person doesn’t realize how serious her memory problems are until there is a crisis. Often the family is too busy or overwhelmed to deal with the realities of what is happening to their loved one. Maybe the older person refuses to have help…until that day when she no longer has a choice.
Planning ahead at the first sign of problems is a positive step for older adults and their families. It avoids the crisis scenario that so often happens. Waiting for the crisis to occur puts everyone in an uproar when it does. Wouldn’t it be better and easier to avoid the crisis by planning ahead? Getting an assessment from the physician done early and making plans for help in the home as soon as it is needed can help avoid all the negative feelings and emotions that come when a catastrophic event occurs suddenly. You may even be able to avoid traveling down the crisis road altogether.
So, don’t wait for the crisis to happen. Be proactive. Take action now. Taking the time to explore assisted living options or arrange for some help in the home could make all the difference in your loved one’s quality of life and will help preserve positive family relationships for the future.
Guest Blog: The Importance of Early Rehabilitation for Injury Recovery
If you’ve ever been injured, you know how hard it can be to get back to your normal routine. You want to make sure that your injury heals properly, but you also need to stay active in order to rebuild strength and mobility. That’s why it’s so important to start early rehabilitation as soon as possible after an injury occurs—even if it means taking a few days off from work or training until the initial pain subsides.
Early Rehabilitation is the key to a successful recovery from injury
Early Rehabilitation is the key to a successful recovery from injury.
Early intervention is essential to ensure an optimal outcome following trauma or surgery, and can help you return to your previous level of function with minimal risk of developing chronic pain. Early rehabilitation helps reduce your risk of developing chronic pain and restores normal movement patterns, joint integrity and strength. Afterwards proteins must be consumed in your diet as it helps in many ways to cure injury.
Recovery from an injury doesn’t have to be stressful or frustrating.
Recovery from an injury doesn’t have to be stressful or frustrating. In fact, rehab can be a fun and rewarding experience if you’re willing to listen to your body and work with it as much as possible.
In the weeks following surgery or an acute injury, there are several things you can do to prepare yourself for the road ahead. It’s important that you don’t rush into activity–if anything hurts even slightly, take a break! Listen closely when doing any kind of physical activity; if there is any pain or discomfort at all (even slight), stop immediately and rest until the next day before trying again.
This may seem counterintuitive at first but allowing yourself plenty of time between sessions will allow tissues in need of healing time for proper recovery and repair without causing further damage by rushing through exercises too quickly or ignoring warning signs from your body telling you something isn’t quite right yet. For injuries with major marks scar treatment should be provided.
The longer you wait before starting your rehabilitation, the harder it will be to recover.
The longer you wait before starting your rehabilitation, the harder it will be to recover. The longer you wait, the more your body will change. Your muscles will atrophy and become weaker over time if they’re not being used regularly; if you have an injury that prevents physical activity (as many do), this can cause serious problems down the road.
The longer we delay getting back into our daily routines after an injury or surgery, the harder it gets for us to regain strength and range of motion in our joints as well as regain confidence in using them again–which means that even after rehabilitating ourselves properly once we start, we may still find ourselves struggling with mobility issues later on down the line!
Early intervention is key to a speedy recovery.
The earlier you begin rehabilitation, the better. In fact, research has shown that early intervention can help you return to your previous level of function and reduce your risk of developing chronic pain. Early intervention also helps restore normal movement patterns and joint integrity by focusing on gentle exercise that encourages movement without causing pain or further injury.
Early rehab is also a good way to prevent injuries in the first place: if you’re not working out after an injury or surgery, it’s easy for other parts of your body (like muscles) to weaken while they’re resting–and this can make them more susceptible to getting hurt again later on down the road.
Early rehabilitation can help you return to your previous level of function.
You may think that rehabilitation is a quick and easy fix. Unfortunately, it’s not.
Rehabilitation is a process that takes time and involves many steps. The goal is not to make you feel better or stronger in the short term; rather, it’s about helping you return to your previous level of function and independence as soon as possible so that you can resume normal activities without pain or limitations on your ability to do things like walk up stairs or pick up objects from the ground.
The best way for this process to work effectively? Start early!
Early rehab helps reduce your risk of developing chronic pain.
Early rehabilitation can help you recover from an injury faster and reduce the risk of developing chronic pain.
Early rehabilitation is important because it helps prevent chronic pain, which is often a result of inactivity and immobility after an injury. When you’re injured and can’t move, your muscles start to weaken over time. Without regular exercise or movement, these weakened muscles become even weaker–and more likely to cause injuries down the road as they try to carry out tasks that are too much for them! This process is known as muscle atrophy (loss of size) or weakness due to disuse atrophy (loss). In other words: if you don’t use it now…you might not be able to use it later on!
Another reason why early rehab matters so much? It may help keep surgery at bay! Studies have shown that people who participate in physical therapy following their injury have fewer surgeries than those who do not receive therapy services.* In addition, those who receive early intervention tend not only experience less pain but also return back into work sooner than those who do not receive any kind of treatment whatsoever.*
Early rehab helps you restore normal movement patterns and joint integrity.
The first step in the rehabilitation process is to restore normal movement patterns and joint integrity. When an injury occurs, there are often changes in the way you move, including muscle weakness and loss of mobility. Your physical therapist will help you regain these abilities by guiding you through a variety of exercises that focus on specific muscles and joints.
The goal of early rehab is to get you back to your previous level of activity as soon as possible while reducing the risk of further injury or pain caused by continued use without proper treatment (known as overuse).
It’s important to work with a doctor and physical therapist who understand the needs of athletes, and can help you stay on track with your recovery.
It’s important to work with a doctor and physical therapist who understand the needs of athletes, and can help you stay on track with your recovery. You also need to stay motivated and positive.
If your injury is severe enough to require surgery, there are some things that can be done in the early stages of rehabilitation before surgery:
- Prehabilitation exercises – these are exercises that help prepare muscles for activity after surgery or an injury (e.g., stretching)
- Postoperative care instructions from doctors or physical therapists
Conclusion
We hope this article has helped you understand the importance of early rehabilitation, and how it can help you recover from injury. The longer you wait before starting your recovery plan, the harder it will be to get back to normal. It’s important to work with a doctor and physical therapist who understand the needs of athletes, so they can keep track of your progress throughout treatment.