As you grow older, living at home can become more meaningful than ever. After all, your home is filled with the significant memories, belongings, and experiences that comprise a lifetime.
You aren’t alone: 93% of people aged 55 and older want to age in place. And living at home isn’t just about staying in one location; it’s about maintaining an environment that provides the resources you need, both physically and emotionally, through the years.
Although living at home can be empowering, it also requires careful planning and consideration of future needs. These to-dos may feel overwhelming, but the following aging in place checklist and resources will help you enjoy the present with peace of mind for the future while living in the comfort of your own home.
What Is Aging in Place?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), aging in place is “the ability to live in one's own home and community safely, independently, and comfortably, regardless of age, income, or ability level.” You may feel a variety of motivations for wanting to live at home, from staying connected to friends, family, and your local community to preserving routines and avoiding everything involved with moving.
The fundamental goal of aging in place is often based on a desire for independence and autonomy, and it prioritizes caring relationships and the sense of identity where you live. Living at home allows you to maintain dignity and stay in a familiar, comfortable setting with the support and care you need to thrive.
Aging in Place: A Checklist for Success
Use this aging in place checklist to ensure your home is safe, accessible, and supportive as you grow older and maintain your quality of life for years to come.
1. Proactively safeguard your health and well-being.
Create a personalized care plan that encompasses nutrition and physical well-being to maintain health and mobility. This process might involve consulting with a physical therapist, maintaining a fitness center membership, or reaching out to a nutritionist or trainer.
In addition, keep up with regular preventive medical checkups and establish a system for medication management. When necessary, consider how you can implement home-based help — whether that means recruiting a loved one or hiring someone to clean the house, deliver groceries and prescriptions, or assist with daily tasks.
2. Understand the costs of aging in place.
According to a recent study, 61% of homeowners aged 70-74 feel confident that they have researched and planned well for retirement, and most older homeowners do not plan to sell their homes as they age. Balanced against these positives are the 59% of older adults who express concern about the cost of independent living or assisted living and 75% who worry about inflation impacting their overall quality of life.
If you hope to age in place, financial planning is crucial — and it’s never too early to start. You’ll need financial resources to modify your home for safety and accessibility and ensure the environment preserves your physical, social, and emotional well-being. Consider the ongoing costs of not only home modifications but also health care, social experiences, and in-home help. Some of these costs may be covered by insurance, but many will not. Consult a certified financial planner for advice and insight into the best ways to continue living independently.
3. Improve your safety at home.
Living at home requires investing in your safety with home modifications to accommodate your changing needs. You may need to minimize fall risks or make changes to help with day-to-day activities, such as:
- Bedroom accessibility: Arrange the furniture to provide plenty of space for moving around the room safely. The bed should also be at an easily accessible height.
- Bathroom safety: Add non-slip flooring or mats to prevent falls on wet tiles. Consider adjusting the heights of hooks and towel racks to make them accessible, and ensure that sturdy grab bars are installed in essential spots such as showers and bathtubs.
- Kitchen functionality: Kitchen renovations include installing lower counters for wheelchair accessibility and easy-to-reach shelves so you don’t need to climb onto stools to grab a plate or pitcher.
- Stairs: Whether your house contains a full flight of stairs or a single step here and there, consider strategic places to install lifts and ramps to improve accessibility and lower the risk of injury.
- Overall accessibility: Wide doorways and lever handles on doors make navigating the home easier. For safety, install a phone or emergency call button in most rooms, just in case you need to call for help.
- Tripping hazards: Eliminate tripping hazards by removing clutter, brightening up dark spots (including stairways, bathrooms, and hallways), and eliminating throw rugs and cords in your regular paths of travel.
In addition to home modifications, don’t forget to tackle regular upkeep for home safety, including changing HVAC air filters, checking fire and carbon monoxide alarms, and hiring professionals to clean chimneys and gutters.
4. Embrace your inner social butterfly.
Growing older comes with higher risks of loneliness and isolation, which can increase heart disease, depression, and cognitive decline. A big benefit of living at home is maintaining your existing network of friends, family, and neighbors — but your methods of connection might change as you age.
Consider joining local groups and clubs that correspond with your interests. If illness or injury makes leaving the house difficult, take advantage of video calling to stay connected with friends and family and reach out to services that bring regular social interactions to your front door, such as Meals on Wheels.
5. Ensure access to immediate help and ongoing care.
People usually don’t expect the worst to happen, but living at home means planning for potential emergencies. You want to be prepared to successfully navigate any urgent or unexpected situation.
Start by keeping a first-aid kit and list of essential phone numbers on hand, including those of medical professionals and friend and family contacts. Consider adding smart tech to your home for safety and convenience, such as:
- Smart doorbells with cameras: Know who’s at the door without answering it.
- Voice-activated assistants: Control the thermostat, lights, and more with your voice. You can even make a phone call via voice command!
- Medical alert systems: With a medical alert button, help is just a touch away.
Most care needs as you age are not emergencies. Instead, they’re ongoing weekly or daily requirements that change over time. Whether you want help with grocery shopping, transportation, activities of daily living (ADLs), or something else, you can ensure peace of mind by being able to access these resources the moment you need them.
Discover WellAhead: A WesleyLife Well-Being Experience
WellAhead: A WesleyLife Well-Being Experience is a membership program that empowers you to live independently at home with resources designed to keep you healthy in a holistic sense — physically, socially, spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and financially. Members not only gain WellAhead benefits today but also reassurance for the future: If your health changes and you require an enhanced level of care, you can immediately access it from WesleyLife at no cost other than your membership and monthly fees.
Access the resources and services you need from one convenient place.
With WellAhead, you can select from a menu of a la carte services designed to address your long-term health as you live at home. Options include:
- A fitness center membership
- Personal training
- Massage therapy
- Light housekeeping
- Meal delivery
- Monthly dog care services
Other services at your fingertips include an advocate who helps you navigate health care and your well-being journey; plentiful social opportunities and programs at your local WesleyLife Community for Healthy Living; and an app for connecting with other WellAhead members and well-being coaches online. Plus, at-home resources through WellAhead give you the support you want, from help with light housekeeping to more extensive assistance with ADLs and home safety modifications.
WellAhead services adapt and evolve with your needs — at no extra cost.
As a continuing care at home membership program, WellAhead provides practical benefits and ongoing peace of mind. When you’re a member, if you develop the need for an enhanced level of care, WesleyLife will provide it at no cost other than your membership and monthly fees.
"WellAhead provides people with the peace of mind of knowing that if they need health support later on, the membership and monthly fees they pay to be a part of WellAhead will fund the cost of that care when it is provided by WesleyLife at Home or in a WesleyLife community," says Aaron Wheeler, vice president of WesleyLife's Home and Community-Based Services.
Live Independently, Now and in the Future
With planning and preparation, aging in place can be a rewarding and fulfilling experience. By tackling the necessary house modifications and safety upgrades and reaching out for the appropriate help and resources, you can create a living space and support network that adapts to your evolving needs as you age.
Want more details about the ways WellAhead: A WesleyLife Well-Being Experience provides the resources required to age in place? The Complete Guide to WellAhead includes all the information you need.
