We all love the comfort of our homes and moving into a retirement center simply because we have become old or incapacitated should not be the first choice. A note here. The term age in place is more common but we use the term care in place as more inclusive because we work with special needs people as well, not just the elderly.
There are many benefits to caring in place as opposed to residential care. Some of these are:
Comfort
There are tremendous psychological benefits to caring in place. Firstly, it avoids the upheaval of moving, and secondly leaves people in an environment they know and are comfortable with.
There is a great deal to be said for familiarity with an environment when it comes to avoiding accidents and confusion.
Health
There are far fewer chances of exposure to bacteria and viruses when people age in place rather than move to a retirement home with perhaps more than 100 people in it. There is a reduced chance of stress from there being fewer people around and a smaller chance of conflict.
Social
If people remain in place as circumstances change then their social network remains constant. Access to families is not restricted as it would be after a move many miles away. Visitors are not restricted to certain hours.
Research finds that “Our participants had a great deal to say about the meanings of “staying put” or remaining in their homes or local communities. “Aging in place” was seen as an advantage in terms of a sense of attachment or connection, practical benefits of security and familiarity, and as being related to people’s sense of identity through independence and autonomy.”(Wiles et al., 2012, p. 364)
Modifiability
Aging in place means that modifying the environment to adapt to changing circumstances is far easier. Ramps can be put in place, doors can be widened, and any other necessary adjustments made to the environment.
Costs
The cost of in-home care is considerably less than residential care where the fees have to cover food, all the staff, grounds maintenance and so much more. One of the good things about care in place is the use of assisted living technologies. These make the environment far easier to manage.
(Graybill et al., 2014, p. 1) indicate AIP as “having lower resource use costs.”
Our Role
Lucky Dove Home Care’s role in this as providers of care-in-place home care. By doing this we enable care-in-place. In a residential care environment, no matter how good the staff are they need to focus on a large number of people. In contrast, in-home care is personalized and attentive.
Marek et al (2005, p. 209 ) say of their research comparing aging in place (AIP) with nursing homes (NH) that “This study indicates that participants of the AIP program had favorable clinical outcomes when compared to similar individuals receiving long-term care in an NH.” Lucky Dove is there to assist these individuals by not just caring for, but by caring about them.
References
Graybill, E. M., McMeekin, P., & Wildman, J. (2014). Can Aging in Place Be Cost Effective? A Systematic Review. PLoS ONE, 9(7), e102705. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0102705
Marek, K. D., Popejoy, L., Petroski, G., Mehr, D., Rantz, M., & Lin, W.-C. (2005). Clinical Outcomes of Aging in Place. Nursing Research, 54(3), 202–211.
Wiles, J. L., Leibing, A., Guberman, N., Reeve, J., & Allen, R. E. S. (2012). The Meaning of “Aging in Place” to Older People. The Gerontologist, 52(3), 357–366. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnr098