A large percentage of the population aspires to comfortably age in place. However, as most homes are not designed to meet the growing demands of aging, not all seniors are given the chance to retire in their own home.

If you or your family is in the middle of this important transition, then examining all possible options is a must. By understanding the difficulties and possible solutions, you can help make aging in place feasible for your loved one. After all, there’s no place like home, right?

1. Care

A person’s capabilities and limitations change overtime. As your loved one ages, you should expect a decline in his ability to fully take care of himself. Before fully resorting to home care, you must first assess your capability to provide proper care.

Some questions you can consider when making an assessment:

Is he capable of performing Activities of Daily Living or ADL, such as bathing and eating alone?

• How much Instrumental Activities of Daily Living can he do? Can he cook or do house chores?
• Does he have any chronic health conditions?
• Is his mental state good?
• Does he have any illnesses that can limit his independence?

Activities of Daily Living are important for everyone. In fact, a person’s capability to perform these tasks can help determine how independent he can be at home. If your loved one has trouble eating or bathing by himself, you need to make sure you can assist or perform the tasks for him.

Certain mental health conditions, such as Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s disease, can also limit a person. Aside from impairing independence, they can also cause harm and injury if not managed properly.

2. Funds

Ranging from around $2,000 to more than $6,000 each month, enrolling a loved one to a quality senior home can be quite expensive. This, however, doesn’t mean that living at home doesn’t entail any costs.

Medications, bills and food are some of the expenses you need to anticipate in case you decide to keep your aging loved one in your place. To best address this concern, you need to plan and delegate responsibilities ahead of time.

Helpful insights you can consider:

• How much money can you allot to your loved one’s needs?
• Are there any programs you can enroll in?
• Are there discounts available?
• What groups can you get financial support from?

3. Comfort

Comfort isn’t only about material things. It’s also about bringing emotional and spiritual support to your loved one. If he is not feeling comfortable at home, then you need to make sure he can easily reach out his thoughts to you.

It can also help increase your loved one’s comfort at home if you can make yourself available to him. Make sure to check in every day to let him know you’re concerned and involved in his care.

4. Security

Creating a senior-friendly home can help keep elders secure. Although adjustments can entail a certain cost, the benefits of peace of mind and safety are far more valuable than any amount of money.

If you’re in the shadow about the changes you need to make at home, here are some ideas you can implement:

• Handrails

            Because fall accidents are relatively common among older people, you need to make sure your home has kept this risk to a minimum. You can install handrails and grab bars in risky areas, such as your bathrooms and kitchen. You can also install a couple of handrails in your hallways.

• Non-skid Tapes

You can add non-skid tapes on areas where floors are slippery. Aside from your kitchen and bathroom, you can also add these tapes near your stairs and the foyer. If you have a bathtub at home, make sure to stick one of these tapes to avoid slipping and accidents.

• Light Fixtures

Aging eyes usually mean poor vision. If you’re not going to adjust your lightings at home, the risks of disorientation and accidents become high.

Good lightings at home don’t only help aged individuals see better, but the lights also make them more awake in the day. They help regulate sleep cycles to help people with Alzheimer’s disease to manage night wandering and similar symptoms.

5. Independence

One of the things seniors aspire to have or maintain is independence. However, because of the changes they experience in both mental and physical aspects, letting them live by themselves can make you think twice.

Medical alert systems are created to address this concern. These devices allow seniors to have quick access to help whenever it’s needed. All they have to do is press the alert button and they instantly get connected to an emergency care representative who can efficiently dispatch assistance. Some medical alert systems use advanced technology in that alert can be detected even without pressing the button.

You can find tons of choices when it comes to medical alert systems. You should take note, however, that not all systems are created equal. To get a clearer idea of what medical alert systems can do for you and your family, you can comb through our top medical alert systems review or directly purchase one now.

Things to consider when buying a medical alert system:

• What is the system’s range?
• Does it connect to the monitoring station through cellular or landline connection?
• Does it have backup batteries in case there’s power failure?
• How fast is its response time?

If you want to have the best medical alert system to protect your loved one, then you should consider our top rated system. Medical Guardian has an average response time of 15 seconds. Its equipment and monitoring station are UL Listed which means you’ll get high quality devices and services.

You have four packages to choose from. The most affordable one you can get is its Classic Guardian Package. At $29.95 per month, you can have access to a 24-hour monitoring and dispatch service without any activation or installation fees required. To know more about this reliable system and your package options, you can go through our in-depth Medical Guardian review.

Aging in place isn’t as simple as allowing a senior to live in his own place. It also involves making sure your loved one can reside comfortably, securely and actively in his own home.