Living in your familiar and comfortable surroundings can be an appealing concept. Although it may always be familiar, it may not always be comfortable – or practical – to stay in your current home as you age and your life circumstances change. Consider these five points as you ponder the pros and cons of aging in place.

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senior using tabletInternet basics: A complete guide for seniors Here are some great tips we call can use – allconnect.com

senior woman in mask shopping in grocery storeCalifornia launches programs to help lonely, isolated seniors The state has partnered with multiple agencies to launch the Social Bridging Project and expand the Friendship Line to help support California’s older population during the indefinite statewide shelter in place order, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Friday. More than 1.2 million Californians who are older than 65 live alone. – SFChronicle.com

elderly man with walker in front of homeBe a Friend to the Elderly, Get Paid Founded in 2018, Papa pairs older adults with college students and young workers who have common interests and hobbies. Mr. Rodger and Mr. Figueroa are both military veterans who enjoy documentaries, sports and an occasional beer, and they live within a few blocks of each other. – NYTimes.com

elderly asian woman with daughterAs Asian Americans age, many look for options that allow them to remain in their homes  National Asian Pacific Center on Aging’s research found that 42 percent of Asian Pacific Islanders provide care to older adults compared to 22 percent of the general population. Many studies show that cultural traditions instruct Asian Americans to care for their older adults though many may not have the resources to choose their preferred care situation. – NBC News.com

senior woman in front of her homeA Retirement Community That Comes to You When she relocated to the small bayside town of Lewes, Del., in 2012, after her parents’ and husband’s deaths, her own future weighed on her mind. At 69, Ms. Basso had a long-term care insurance policy and a modest pension, but scant savings, which had prompted her move to a lower-cost region. – NYTimes.com

lonely senior woman looking out windowIdentifying the Unique Challenges of Solo Agers One of the reasons we began Staying Put or Moving On was for folks just like those featured in this article. – NextAvenue.com

woman in motorized wheelchair in front of large fountainsWhen Failing Health Forces You to Make Lifestyle Changes This concept of home sharing may also be applicable to other situations. Do you think it might benefit you or someone you know? – SharingHousing.com

large pile of pennies in formt of a house with HELP signTips to Age In Place More and more resources are becoming available to keep you living at home (AKA “aging in place”) – as long as possible. Here’s a roundup of some solutions to common challenges. – SeniorPlanet.com

deserted residential city blockWhat to Consider When Aging in Place Looks Uncertain Here are five actions you can take to help determine what’s next.  – NextAvenue.com

illustration of senior woman looking around with a flashlightHow to Age Well and Stay in Your Home What will it take to age well in place, in the surroundings we’ve long cherished that bring us physical, social and emotional comfort? What adaptations are needed to assure our safety and comfort and relieve our children’s legitimate concerns for our welfare? – NewYorkTimes.com

senior woman & grand daughter 5 Top Caregiving tips for keeping aging parents at home As long as the situation is safe for everyone involved, keeping your senior at home is a wonderful thing to do. But caregiving is also one of the toughest and most stressful jobs you’ll ever have.-dailycaring.com

 Are you ready for the Solo Agers? What will be different about members of the Baby Boom generation when they start to need aid and assistance with their activities of daily living? Family members will be in shorter supply. mcknightseniorliving.com

 “…but I love my home”: Is Staying in Your House the Right Move? “I firmly believe that if more people understood and explored the numerous senior living options that are available to them these days, they might reconsider this desire to stay in their current home.  But, for the sake of argument, let’s examine some of the reasons people say they hope to stay in their current home.” – mylifestyle.net

worried senior womanShould Your Loved One Continue Living at Home? Rebecca and her husband live 500 miles away from her 82-year-old mother, who is exhibiting signs of early Alzheimer’s disease and suffers from arthritis. Rebecca worries about her mother’s safety, but every time she shares her concerns, the answer is always the same: “Everything is fine. Stop worrying about me.”– agingcare.com

a tiny houseCan Tiny Houses Help People Age in Place? This an example of architecture and technology that can help you be independent for longer. That enhanced independence is an important way of addressing ageism – NextAvenue

Care worker giving an old lady her dinner in her home Aging in Place: Growing Old at Home This article contains suggestions to help you find the help you need to continue to live independently. – National Institute of Health

A happy senior couple standing together outside their home, at the front door, smiling and waving.Considering Aging in Place? 5 Questions to Ask Yourself Living in your familiar and comfortable surroundings can be an appealing concept. Although it may always be familiar, it may not always be comfortable – or practical – to stay in your current home as you age and your life circumstances change. Consider these five points as you ponder the pros and cons of aging in place. – CTPost.com

Older woman with chidrenHousing That Lessens Loneliness What if your housing choices in later life could mitigate isolation? What if loneliness were to be replaced with meaningful connections? Increasingly, boomers and seniors are thinking about not only where they want to live, but with whom they want to grow old. – longevitynetwork.org

Niche Retirement CommunityWhat Have We Learned From 30 Years of ‘Aging in Place’? A new study on “naturally occurring retirement communities” shows that cities must adapt to and support the needs of elders for them to thrive. – The Atlantic

radical resthomes logoRadical RestHomes – A complete Re-Think for a New Generation Whatever you decide to do, you declare your home, your compound, a “Radical Resthome”. It’s your own personal senior residence, and you don’t need a developer or building manager to tell you how to run it … – Radical Resthomes

NORC in NYCWhen the Neighborhood Is the Retirement Village In my father’s apartment building in South Jersey, the older tenants start drifting into the small lobby each day around 1 p.m., taking up positions on chairs and couches. The ostensible reason: The mail is about to arrive. The real reason: They relish a chance to schmooze. — New York Times

Downtown_Phoenix_Aerial_Looking_NortheastAmerica’s 10 Fastest-Growing Places to Retire When to retire is one of life’s biggest decisions, but where to retire is an often-overlooked question that can be equally important. Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau, NerdWallet crunched the numbers to find the country’s fastest-growing metropolitan areas for retirees.— Next Avenue

Stair-Lifts-in-homeWhat It Takes to Age in Place It’s not just a house. It’s a home. Your parents raised a family there, tended the garden and mowed the lawn. They kept up with the neighbors and enjoyed many wonderful years in that house. Who can blame them for never wanting to leave?— Next Avenue

The Homes Boomers Will Retire In Sun City: Here we don’t come! That’s one of my takeaways from the new Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate (BHGRE) survey about the homes boomers expect to live in during retirement. – Next Avenue

Hands of the old woman - Will We Really Be Able to Age in Place?Will We Really Be Able to Age in Place? How will we access and pay for the support and services we’ll need as we grow older? There is a growing sense of urgency around that question, as more of us are determined to remain as independent as possible throughout our lives, – Next Avenue

At Home, Many Seniors Are Imprisoned by Their Independence What she mourns most are the mundane pleasures and rituals of her once-active life. A weekly manicure at the corner nail salon. Saturday excursions to Macy’s. “I miss going to Sunday brunch on Second Avenue with my friends,” she said. “I miss going to church.”— New York Times

Renovation vs. Relocation in RetirementRenovation vs. Relocation in Retirement Should you downsize and move to a new neighborhood? Or renovate the family residence to suit your retirement needs and lock in for the long term? It is one of the most vexing questions older people face as they plan the shift from a working life to retirement. — New York Times

Livable Community Indicators for Sustainable Aging in PlaceLivable Community Indicators for Sustainable Aging in Place  Aging in place is the ability to remain in one’s own home or community in spite of potential changes in health and functioning in later life. Aging in place has the potential to benefit not only older adults, but also their families, their communities, and their governments.— MetLife.com

How to Use Your Home to Stay at Home happy asian senior couple standing in front of a houseHow to Use Your Home to Stay at Home Like most Americans, you may want to stay in your home as you grow older. But as it gets harder to do things on your own, you may need a helping hand with everyday tasks. For many people, / extra costs are a real burden.— Next Avenue

Homes Designed for Now and Later Homes Designed for Now and Later The Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority has named aging in place a “pillar issue,” promising to support the incorporation of universal design features into affordable housing and communities. The agency is developing a program to provide financing for people 55 and older who want to modify their homes. — AARP Bulletin

Back to the Future- Are Today’s “Livable Communities” Reminiscent of Our Not-Too-Distant PastBack to the Future: Are Today’s “Livable Communities” Reminiscent of Our Not-Too-Distant Past?  By 2030, there will be an estimated 70 million elders in the United States, accounting for about 20 percent of the total population. Given the scale and pace of the greying of America, and because satisfaction with living conditions correlates highly with life satisfaction, housing for this population has become one of the more salient policy issues in America today. — American Society on Aging

Movers helping Their senior Customers Stay at HomeMovers Who Help Their Customers Stay at Home Karen Barlow, an aging-in-place specialist in San Antonio, has a same critical eye during her initial visit to a client’s abode. “We assess the home, starting from the entrance,” Ms. Barlow said. “If there are several stairs or a transition, a person who’s on a walker is not going to be able to get over that. We can level out the entrance.”— New York Times

Books

Independent for Life: Homes and Neighborhoods for an Aging America book coverIndependent for Life: Homes and Neighborhoods for an Aging America  – Former HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros and a team of experts on aging, architecture, construction, health, finance, and politics assess the current state of housing and present new possibilities that realistically address the interrelated issues of housing, communities, services, and financial concerns. – Edited by Henry Cisneros, Margaret Dyer-Chamberlain and Jane Hickie

seniors housing dilemma book coverStay or Move? The Seniors’ Housing Dilemma Today we are living longer and the probability is that at some time in the future we are going to have to sell and move. Also, unexpected incidents do happen that require fast decisions. The best thing you can do is to start working on this decision, TODAY!— by Bruce Wrisley