The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 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”. Successful aging in place is more than a grab bar or a bath chair. Planning for aging starts the day you buy or build your home and continues until you can no longer be there.

Let’s consider you favorite pair of jeans or that perfect little black dress. When you bought those articles of clothing, they fit just right. You felt awesome wearing them. Well, the closet inevitably shrinks those jeans and soon they are sitting on the shelf waiting for the day you are smaller. Sometimes, that day never comes.

The answers to successful aging in place are a little like your jeans. As we age, our needs change. It’s no surprise that we will all get older. How many times have you watched your loved ones struggle as they age? How many times have you heard someone say ‘she’s just not safe to be at home any longer?” The house (like the jeans) doesn’t ever change. The bedroom is always in the same place, the toilet doesn’t move, and the laundry never gets upstairs by itself. Like the weight you gain, life can change in a minute and the home that always worked so well for you is suddenly a challenge to your independence. Perhaps it isn’t just a challenge but a safety risk. If you would have purchased the jeans with a little stretch, exercised more, or watched your weight they may fit longer. Maybe it is time to move the laundry room, relocate the toilet for greater access, or change that sewing room into a master bedroom suite. Modifying a home is like making your jeans fit a little longer!

Aging in place consultations are designed to help you consider what options may help you stay in your home longer. Your Solutions 4 Home consultant spends time getting to know you, your habits and routines, your healthcare challenges, and goals. By the end of your consultation, we will have developed a plan that may include: remodel ideas/suggestions, potential equipment options to maintain independence, or potential funding options to assist you with your work. Home is a place you should be able to stay forever. Let the help come to you in the future and invest in yourself! Buy some new jeans!