When asked, most people will say that they prefer to stay at home as they get older. They want to stay where they have been living. They want to be aging in place.
However, the saying “aging in place” means different things to different people.
What Does Aging in Place Mean to You?
What makes this question rather challenging is that humans are not hardwired to think about the future. We tend to think about our immediate needs and wants rather than plan for what might be.
Contemplating our future needs can be challenging as we age, slow down and become less independent. This is so because it is a difficult matter to think about and because we do not know precisely what those needs are going to look like.
Jennifer Molinsky is a project director of the Housing and Aging Society Program at the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University. She suggests that people should re-evaluate the phrase “aging in place”.
For some it means never leaving the house that they live in. For others it means staying in their community but living in a different house. For others it means “anywhere but a nursing home”.
Once you have formulated what “aging in place” means to you, you can then consider your living situation through that lens.
Physical Environment
Start with where you currently are, your current physical environment.
A very small share of homes in the U.S. are accessible to people with mobility problems according to the Joint Center for Housing Studies. Just 3.5% have single floor living, no-step entry and extra wide halls and doors that can accommodate wheelchairs. The figure drops below 1% if you include features such as electrical controls reachable from a wheelchair.
Your odds of disability increase with age. One study found that 60% of household heads age 80 and higher had a disability that made it difficult to remain in the home and maintain self-sufficiency.
The most common problems were walking and climbing stairs. Problems with hearing and lack of ability to run errands were also problems.
Consider what a change in ability could mean for life in your current home. Will you be able to walk up or down the stairs? Prepare meals? Get in and out of the shower or bathtub? Continue to drive?
Consider housing affordability. Housing is the single largest category of spending for older households according to J.P. Morgan Asset Management. Some retirees find themselves burdened with the high cost of housing that puts a squeeze on their budgets especially if they must spend money to remodel to accommodate needs associated with aging.
Will housing consume too much of your budget?
Access to Care
If you do not want to be in an institutional care setting, you will most likely need to get help with long-term care needs at home. For some, family members can assist if they live nearby and take the time to do so.
Medicare does not pay for most long-term care services.
Community Supports
It is important to evaluate what you will need as you age and whether your community’s location can meet those needs.
How will you get around if you cannot drive? Are there social opportunities that can help you avoid isolation?
A network of nonprofit “villages” devoted to providing support and a social network to people who want to age in their homes has been growing for years. This is according to the Village to Village Network, a non-profit group that supports the villages (https://www.vtvnetwork.org/).
Villages typically cover a specific neighborhood or town, but they are virtual support organizations.
A variation on the idea of villages can be found in Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities. Unlike villages which are formed intentionally, NORCs are communities of older people that form naturally, typically in apartment buildings or towns with high concentrations of older people. NORC residents can access medical services from visiting nurses and doctors, social services, wellness and social activities often with the support of a social service agency.
Molinsky argues that the unanswered questions around aging in place point to a need for a much broader policy discussion.
Approach your housing decisions with your eyes open and a willingness to plan ahead for a time when your needs might change.