Hello, again friends,
Carolyn here with AgingParents.com.
We hope you and your aging parents and loved ones are doing well.
present at something called the National Council on Aging
Conference. The conference just happened to be St. Patrick’s Day
and our evening was spent at this great Irish Pub called Fado in
downtown Chicago.
Our colleague and co-presenter is a first generation Irish woman.
She knew the words to all the Irish songs and everyone was
singing and dancing. Mikol and I both love it here in California
so much, but Chicago was really an excellent place to visit.
So it was a great trip all around, but even better to be back in the
comfort of home with our doggie Tigra, whom we always miss when
we’re away.
While we were there at the conference, we met lots of other people
from all over the US with aging parents who work in the elder arena
and caregiver business like we do.
There were many new and innovative topics discussed and
we found them all interesting, but I wanted to take some time to tell
you about one that really got our attention.
It is something many professionals are referring to it as the next
“movement” in elder care, a major hot topic, something called
aging-in-place.
The idea is this…
Rather than moving aging parents to assisted living or any other
kind of senior community, neighborhoods instead pool their resources
together to provide services like home care, repairs and transportation
to provide for those who want to stay in their homes.
Each household pays a fee per month or per year, and they have
access to all the services arranged for by the “village” or
community that was created to serve them. They pay for the services
separately, but the prices are reduced by the cost-sharing of the
neighbors.
The research shows that most seniors want to remain in their own
homes as they age. And we know most families want to honor the
independence of their aging loved ones.
So this is something that we very much support. We believe it is
going to become much more popular in the future. And even if it
does not seem to be the right choice for your aging parent right now,
we believe having a choice is always good.
So here are three tips about aging-in-place that you can
use if the idea sounds right for you:
can band together with those who live nearby to create a cost
effective ways to get services. Join a village or create one.
You’ll pay a fee to whomever organizes it, but is better than
trying to do it all on your own. If you would like personal
attention we can consult with you. Just call me @ (866) 962-4464
or email me by hitting the “reply” button.
2. Be prepared. Think about what most people need if they age in
place. Home care services, shopping, transportation, and reliable
home repair services are all cheaper if you are in a buying pool.
If no village model is available near you, you can bargain for these
services by signing up others in your area to get costs down if
everyone uses the same service providers.
3. If you are joining or forming one of these village arrangements,
follow what others have done. Village models are already in place
in some parts of the country now and others are in formation.
Google aging-in-place, see other community examples and follow
their lead.
We hope you’ll think about this for the future of your aging
parent. It’s new, it’s working, and it’s here to stay.
Here’s wishing you well this early spring,
Sincerely,
Carolyn Rosenblatt, RN, BSN, Attorney, Mediator
AgingParents.com
P.S. WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Send us your questions,
comments, concerns, even just to say hi. We look forward to it =)
AgingParents.com, 711 Mission Ave, San Rafael, CA 94901, USA
