Director's Message
Independent Living February 2011When I first arrived at PSRC 9 years ago, there was a boom in development of senior living communities, everything from Assisted Living to Continuing Care Communities to Age Restricted communities. The market wisdom was that there was this huge wave of aging adults on the way, and that they were not going to be able to care for themselves and they would choose these communities. Instead, what I have seen is that most people want to continue to live in the community, an impression supported by the AARP finding that 87% of older adults would like to live independently.
PSRC is dedicated to supporting aging in place. Our Partners In Caring program provides a wide array of services when it becomes difficult to do everything yourself, and can link you to other community services. Crosstown provides transportation throughout Princeton to medical appointments, PSRC programs and other destinations of your choosing. HomeFriends and LINK match volunteers with home-based people for friendship and assistance.
I have also been here long enough to see your decisions change over time as your lives change. The two primary factors seem to be loss of a spouse/partner and a significant health event. Our Transitions program helps people review options and select the right fit for their individual situation.
What are some of the factors to consider when deciding whether to continue independent living or a move to residential living?
à Do you want to live where you do now? As much as possible, this needs to be your decision. There are a lot of factors that go into the decision. You can also decide to move out of the home you are currently in to other independent housing for a number of reasons. Is the home too large? Are you lonely?
à Are you able to live independently? Do you need help with mobility, driving, shopping, cooking, dressing, bathing, home care, bill paying? Do you have health conditions that need to be addressed? Can you hire assistance for these at home?
à How strong is your support network? Are there family and friends nearby who can assist when needed? Could family provide more support if you lived nearer to them?
à Can you afford where you live? Property tax increases, utility costs and home repairs can make this difficult.
à Does your house present unsolvable challenges? Are there steps and narrow hall and doorways that present mobility problems? Is there a bathroom on the first floor, and a room that could be a bedroom?
à Do you feel safe in your home? Are there safety hazards or repairs that need to be made? Your rural home might feel isolated now, or your neighborhood has changed and you don’t know neighbors anymore.
à Are you able to do the things you enjoy doing where you currently live?
We all have a vision for how we want to age. Sometimes it just doesn’t work out that way and we need to reassess periodically to see if our choices are in line with reality. Maybe you and your best friend vowed you’d help each other but now neither of you drives at night and you both want to continue to attend the theatre, or she has dementia and the care is only going one way. Or the bills on your home are so steep that you are not getting needed medications and food. It doesn’t mean you made a bad decision before, but you do need to rethink the plan now. We can help.
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Previous MessagesJune 2013 - Age Friendly Communities June 2013 - Age Friendly Communities May 2013 - Navigating a Changing HealthCare Landscape March 2013 - Navigating Life’s Transitions February 2013 - Partners in Caring Princeton January 2013 - Men as Caregivers December 2012 - The Safety Net October 2012 - Documenting Your History September 2012 - A Journey of Transformation July - August 2012 - Gratitude & Moving March 2012 - Patient-centered Care February 2012 - Can you Spare an Hour? January 2012 - Challenges & Opportunities December - Are you Prepared for Emergencies? October - Chocolate for Memory September- Looking Back and Looking Forward Lessons and Legacies, March 2011 Independent Living February 2011 Witness to my Life December 2010 Elections, benefits and open enrollment November 2010 Strategic Planning September 2010 Hiring Home Care December 2009 Annual Giving by Sharon Naeole November 2009 Flu Pandemic 2009 October 2009 Healthy Memory, Healthy Mind September 2009 A Personal Perspective on Caregiving July/August 2009 Wei Ji: Crisis, Danger and Opportunity April 2009 Write your own obituary March 2009 Hope and Vision in Challenging Times Medicare Changes 2008: Take A Look! December 2008 Scams, Frauds and Rip-offs November 2008 Engaged Retirement: Beyond Financial Planning October 2008 September 2008 Caregiver Dilemmas Finding Rhythm and Purpose July/August 2008 V + OA = ER (Volunteering + Older Americans=Engaged Retirement)May 2008 Have You Had the Talk Yet? March 2008 Get Moving with FitRhythms™! February 2008 What Are Social Services? November 2007 Plan for the Future September 2007 The Up-side of Aging Summer 2007 National Conference on Aging: Let's ReThink Aging April 2007 Season of Giving December 2006 April Hill McElroy October 2006 Civic Engagement September 2006 White House Conference on Aging May 2006 Are You Prepared? October 2005 Watch Your Language September 2005 The End of the Journey May 2005 New Dietary Guidelines February 2005 Civic Engagement with GrandPals October 2004 The Challenge of Giving Care May 2004 Seniors On The Move April 2004 Random Acts of Kindness December 2003 Civic Engagement November 2003 |