“Aging in Place” means living safely at home. If you are blessed enough to have a good retirement plan, then traveling is great for awhile. However, there is nothing fun about the physical changes to your body as you grow older. Inside, you may feel young at heart, but your body does not always comply. Even the simplest tasks become more difficult, people start discussing options like moving in with family, or a retirement community, or even an assisted living facility. Naturally, you want to remain as independent as possible for as long as you can; so, it is really important to learn about aging in place, living safety at home.
Home is Where Your Heart Is
Maybe you have lived in the same house for most of your adult life. Your kids grew up in those rooms, everything is just as you like it. You home is much more than 4 walls a roof. It holds your family memories it is where you feel most comfortable secure – in your own place.
But, if you are going to continue aging in the place you want to be, you will first have to assure family friends that you are doing everything possible to create an environment of living safety at home. For example, one of the major worries as you age is falling. A lot of senior citizens suffer debilitating hip fractures, the dream of remaining at home is gone in an instant.
Living Assistive Devices
Will you need to consider wearing a life alert device, so you can get help if needed, if you fall cannot get up? It is important to go through every room in your home make sure you have taken all the precautions necessary to protect your health. Start with the bathroom. Would a shower chair make bathing safer, so you do not slip in the tub? Would it be better for you to remove the tub have a curbless shower that you could one day use with a walker or rolling shower chair? Do you need extra h rails on the interior staircase, or perhaps on the outside steps, to steady yourself prevent falling? If you are already in a wheelchair, would a transfer board make it easier to switch from the chair to the commode?
Now, what about the bedroom? This is the number one place where accidents happen! Is it difficult to regain a sitting position after you have been lying down? Would a bedrail make it simpler to get out of bed in the morning? Maybe you need devices to turn out the lights from bed, so you do not risk a fall in the dark.
Brutal Honesty Required
The idea is to scrutinize your entire home. Consider all the activities 
you engage in, on a daily basis. Then, honestly consider the tasks that have become more difficult or feel risky. You may need to install some new hardware or devices. If you want to remain independent enjoy your home for as long as possible, you are going to have to be brutally honest with yourself.
