Most people prefer to remain in their homes as long as possible receiving long-term care in their home. This is referred to as aging in place. To ensure you can age in place, here are five factors that you must consider:
1. Can your home accommodate you as you age? Your home should be a single story, single level home with rooms and bathrooms that can be accommodate use of a walker or a wheelchair. If your home is not accessible, you may have to modify it. If you are modifying your home, you can seek the help of a Certified Aging-In-Place Specialist (CAPS) who has special training regarding accessibility.
2. What kind of in-home services are available in your community? The availability of services such as housekeeping, emergency alert systems, home health, transportation, deliverable meals, deliverable pharmaceuticals, and adult day care can affect your ability to age in place. Lack of services may require families to fill those gaps or come up with creative options to provide those services.
3. What are the costs of the services you need to age-in-place? The costs of long term care services differ from state to state and from region to region within a state. The 013 Genworth Financial Annual Cost of Care Survey has the average costs of various long term care services for every state and for regions within states.
4. How long can your income, assets, long-term care insurance, and other resources pay for in-home services? One of the biggest limitations to aging in place is the individual’s ability to fund in-home services. Once you determine the types and costs of the services you need, you must evaluate what your income and other resources can pay for and for how long those resources can sustain payment.
5. Does your legal/estate plan ensure you have someone to act on your behalf when you are unable to do so? Individuals who need long-term care often need assistance with arranging, supervising, and ensure payment is made. This is done by someone acting on behalf of the individual. Your legal/estate plan should include a durable power of attorney and health care advance directives allowing a trusted person to act on your behalf.
The US Department of Health & Human Services maintains a website of long-term care information. This is a great place to start to learn about long term care and your possible future needs. If you need help developing a personal plan to allow you to age in place, contact an elder law attorney in your area. Elder law attorneys are familiar with the services available in your area, the costs of those services, and how to create a plan to keep you at home as long as possible.
