Our Elders at Home – Risks & Rewards to Aging in Place, Part 1
It all begins with an idea.
Love for a parent is deep and timeless. As the years rush by, there is a sudden moment when we truly see our father and mother – elderly, fragile, and vulnerable – and there’s no going back. They are no longer the parents of the child we once were. And they need our help.
To assist in time of crisis or major life pivot, I’ve created COMPASS: Insights to Senior Care to share information about available resources, systems to navigate, aspects involved in tiered levels of caregiving, and tips for enhanced senior wellbeing.
I personally know the feeling of extreme alarm, dread, and stress when your parent requires support that is beyond your ability and capacity to provide. In the later stage of his life, my father had dementia which progressed rapidly and quite unexpectedly. He urgently required specialized care, when mere weeks later, my mother fell and broke her hip, leading to both parents needing simultaneous support. Seeing my parents in trauma and distress was heartbreaking. The situation was complicated and depleting on so many levels. I felt helpless with nowhere to turn.
Witnessing the struggles of families facing the demands of caring for a parent – in some cases both parents at once – compounded by my own personal experience, was the impetus for creating Family Navigator for Seniors.
Throughout my 40-year career, I have dedicated myself to healthcare with an extensive medical background as a former registered nurse in the coronary and heart transplant unit, in addition to seven years in my role in retirement home leadership. I made the decision to become a family navigator in order to help clients through the maze of elder care levels such as aging in place, hospital admission, retirement home, long-term care, assisted living, dementia care, and hospice.
I constantly see family members taken unawares by a swift downturn in a parent’s wellbeing. Decision making may need to happen quickly. Lack of readiness is extremely common as we resist the idea that our aging parents will ever reach a point when in critical ways, we must now become the parent to our parents.
“My purpose is to support the family to ensure that their loved one is safe and can live as independently for as long as possible.”
Pathways to care
I guide my clients with genuine care and empathy as well as a deep understanding of the senior care industry – operating without bias – towards an informed decision. In addition to leading families through options of care, I work closely with individual seniors who are deliberating a change of residence for themselves or a spouse, and those who require home upgrades in response to shifts in health and are seeking an optimum lifestyle as they age.
A senior’s state of affairs may change abruptly due to unexpected illness, a mishap that hampers mobility, or cognitive decline, leading to emergency discussions as to the best course of action. You may find yourself numb and unable to fully digest what doctors and Ontario’s Home and Community Care Support Services personnel are conveying about next steps. It is often confusing as each step leads to other questions and offshoot needs, not to the mention inevitable delays and scattered delivery of care service so common in our current healthcare system.
In this inaugural issue of COMPASS: Insights to Senior Care, we are focusing on key aspects of aging in place. The correct course to be taken is dependent on the mental and physical health of the person facing challenges and whether to enhance their wellbeing within their current home situation or seek placement in a care facility. I advocate for aging in place where possible, but the stark reality is not all seniors can continue to manage on their own without accessing many layers of in-home care service.
Assistance from outside services is just as necessary for family members choosing to serve as caregivers, as seniors require more rigorous oversight through various stages of aging. Adult children with the appropriate means may opt to incorporate living quarters or create a nanny suite in their own home as a preferred route to manage the welfare of a senior parent. Growing older at home is certainly a senior’s first preference. The shortfalls exposed during the COVID-19 pandemic further eroded trust in institutional elder care. The National Institute on Ageing collaborated with the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) in a report revealing staggering pressure on future senior care:
Clearly, we are at an impasse on many levels. While senior care institutions are strained by staffing and resource shortages, at-home care demands a strategic patchwork of services requiring careful management in order for seniors to safely function.
Rewards of aging in place
Clients frequently reach out to me for guidance because they are unclear on the rudiments of aging in place as compared to a senior care facility, and how to decide what is feasible in their parent’s stage in life.
In addition to a medical assessment, the level of existing care available for the senior to carry on in their home is dependent upon which additional services need to be outsourced in order to maintain a comfortable quality of life.
All seniors desire to remain in personal space to which they are accustomed with usual routines, surrounded by memories and beloved possessions, and in the community with which they have a longstanding bond.
Benefits include:
Familiarity and ease: Remaining in their current home rooted in their community brings a deep sense of comfort and emotional wellbeing.
Independence and control: Aging at home allows seniors to maintain their independence and make their own decisions regarding daily routines, activities, and lifestyle choices.
Cost-effective: In some cases, aging at home can be more cost-effective than moving to a senior living facility. It eliminates the need for monthly fees or expensive assisted living arrangements.
Personalized care: Seniors aging at home can receive personalized care tailored to their specific needs. Family members may provide assistance, ensuring a higher level of individualized attention. If budget allows, they can choose and hire support care beyond what community care services provide.
Emotional support: Staying at home allows seniors to be surrounded by their loved ones, family, and friends, providing companionship, a sense of belonging, and local connection. Consider requesting PSWs to engage seniors in singalongs, cards and games, or read stories aloud to boost both morale and cognitive abilities. Adult senior day programs can also provide activities and companionship that can bring about new friendships and become a weekly highlight.
Specialized care: Assessment via occupational therapy service may recommend mobility equipment such as lift chairs, bath grip bars, shower stool, specialized dishware and cutlery, stair lifts, and room design to prevent falls and mishaps. A customized exercise regime can also help sedentary seniors maintain mobility to move confidently and safely through the home. Professional Support Workers (PSWs) can also be trained to assist with exercise routines.
Safety for at-home seniors is more accessible and convenient with wearable emergency medical alert devices in case of a fall or other danger where they need immediate assistance.
Fee-based, short-cut services are available including grocery delivery, prepared food services, hiring for yard work, snow clearing, and house cleaning, ride programs for errands and medical appointments including mobility bus. Family members can download apps for shared access to book services on behalf of a parent.
Summary
In Part 1 of this edition of COMPASS: Insights to Senior Care, I’ve provided insights and aspects of aging in place and what benefits they can provide to families and seniors who wish to remain in their home for as long as possible. To ensure you have a fuller picture of the ins and outs of such an important topic, in Part 2 of Our Elders at Home – Risk & Rewards to Aging in Place, I will explore potential obstacles to successfully managing an at-home lifestyle.
There’s so much more to share with you!
