There is a commercial running right now, for some drug or another, in which an elderly man admits “I didn’t understand it until it happened to me.” He is talking about ageing of course. It is time to stop looking away every time you see somebody walking slowly, hunched over, or using a walker to get around. It can, or likely will, happen to you.
Ageing happens. Take heed. Get your ducks in a row right now. Make plans. The desire to age in place is universal and it should be the driving force behind your “plan” for the future.
Be realistic. If you find yourself stubbornly refusing “helpful” suggestions out of hand, you are essentially saying that you could care less. You still think that it isn’t going to happen to you.
By refusing to accept hearing aids, glasses, dentures, hiring help, using a cane, moving or remodeling your house, you are denying yourself the possibility of a better life.
Ageing in place is based on the idea that you should be able to live safely and independently in your own home. Yes, you will have to spend some of your hard-earned dollars to make this happen, but remodeling your house or hiring someone to supervise your bath is going to cost less than being moved into a care facility.
Okay, you get the picture, but you are probably still suspicious. Older seniors often feel that it is too late to make major changes in their lives, but what if you end up living an additional ten to twenty years? You will rue the day when you end up in a rehabilitation center, or worse, because you suffered a preventable fall or medical emergency.
At the very least you need to research safety features. I’m not talking about changing the locks or installing a fancy security system, but about “senior proofing” your home so that can get around with confidence.
Certainly there are other options, but you want to be the one to decide which ones are best for you.
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