Options For Safe Senior Living Without Moving In To Assisted Living

The responsibility for an elderly loved ones' safety and comfort becomes overwhelming as time passes. It involves physical, emotional and financial effort. Most of the time, it can be tiring and draining. Most of our parents would prefer to age in familiar surroundings. We cannot also deny that assisted living facilities and nursing homes' costs are high and still continue to increase. Fortunately, today's technology and aging in place options has been helping us achieve proper and easier care for our aging loved ones. Because of that, we can have more peace of mind while delivering safety and comfort to them. There are 3 main options to consider: 1) Aging in place at their own homes 2) Living in naturally occurring retirement communities (NORC) 3) Independent retirement communities. Why choose one of these senior living options for your parents or senior relatives? We will go into more detail below. Regardless of the selected option, make sure that the apartment or the home where your parents stay is safe. Some of the things to take note of are: adequate lighting in all areas of the home and installing senior safety bathroom fixtures and grab bars. In addition, make sure that you have a plan in place to handle emergencies. With convenient access to medical alert monitoring technologies in the US these days, a personal emergency response system is not difficult to put into place. There is more background information on making homes safe for seniors and on how medical alert systems are useful for seniors in case of emergencies in this article. Aging in place at home Lately, people over the age of 65 want to stay at home as they age. This trend is "aging in place" or "aging in community". Over 90% of the geriatric people prefer the comfort and solitude of their home. However, many children fail to see the importance of aging in place for their parents. With some help, you can make your parent's aging experience more comfortable and memorable. You can still tap into community resources such as meal delivery, housekeeping, and transportation assistance while your parents stay at their home or your home while you are away and at work. One important thing is your parents remain in a familiar environment. They can talk to someone familiar like friends, other children who live nearby or a friendly neighbor whom they can talk to when boredom hits. Encourage them to make a new friend and rekindle old friendship by letting them stay in their home, your home or a community for the elderly people near your place. Living in naturally occurring retirement communities (NORC) Depending on the local community that your parents or senior relatives live in, they may or may not be part of a naturally occurring retirement community (NORC). According to Wikipedia, NORC "is a term used to describe a community that has a large proportion of residents over 60 but was not specifically planned or designed to meet the needs of seniors living independently in their homes." There are NORC organizations that offer a membership to elderly people who live in the same geographic area. This type of organization offers services such as home repair, social activities and other home care needs that your parents require as they stay in their homes. It requires a membership fee. Volunteers and paid staff handle the services offered and the management of such communities. Independent retirement communities These independent retirement communities offer individual apartments with services like group meals, housekeeping, and social activities. You may visit your parents anytime. If a friend or a family member lives near such communities, they are free to visit anytime. In this setting, your parents enjoy the warmth and comfort of familiar surroundings with the benefits of a larger group. Your parents have the opportunity to make more friends of the same geographic group. Amenities and costs may vary from one place to another. Some communities offer nursing care. For additional services such as laundry and bathing, an additional minimal fee is required. Before deciding which community is best for you parents, visit these first and preferably ask your parents to come along.