A New Way to Age in Place

Home, Sweet Home

In this age of on-demand services, technology and apps, there’s a new way to age in place. No longer do elders have to struggle to hang on to their “independence” at home. It has always been most elders’ desire to age in place. However, in the past, many of them did so with risks to safety and comfort. Too often, they sacrificed quality of life to age in place.

The Modern Way to Age in Place: Tech Enabled with a Personal Touch

Today, we’ll share with you the wonderful new way to age in place. We call it “tech-enabled with the human touch”. Many of the services and products that help elders age in place aren’t just “senior services”. They are lifestyle services and health technologies that can benefit all ages.

The home can be a comfortable, happy place for healthy aging. It shouldn’t be turned into a nursing home. There’s a better way with enhanced aging in place.

On-Demand Services to Age in Place

Reducing the Hassles: Shopping and Purchasing

Amazon has revolutionized commerce. While you may think of them for books and electronics, they offer tons of products. Many of our clients benefit from ordering medical and care supplies for the home. This includes gloves, adult diapers, cleaning and household supplies. Save time and hassle by ordering monthly with direct delivery to the house. And, the prices are great. Amazon Prime means free, quick shipping. Plus, you can get streaming entertainment.

The True Link Card is a reloadable Visa that makes it easy for the client or caregiver/care manager to access funds quickly, reliably, and safely. Allow certain purchases, block specific merchants, block online or phone purchases. Set spending limits, allow ATM withdrawals only for set limits. Get email and text alerts about charges and track transactions.

The Cure That Can Kill: Managing Medications

More than 125,000 people die every year from failing to take medications properly. Medication management problems lead to many nursing home placements.

Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy makes ordering medication and coordinating easy. They manage all the refills, call the doctors, and even deliver to the house. Payment is easy; they’ll send you an invoice or you can pay by credit card. If you don’t have a Medicine Shoppe in your area, check with your local pharmacy or delivery service.

Another great resource for medication management at home is a local home health company. Contact EasyLiving to find out more about services in Florida (Pinellas and Pasco counties).

To Age in Place, What You Eat Matters

Shipt and other delivery services take away the grocery shopping hassle. Through a user-friendly website/app and local network of reliable shoppers, Shipt connects members to groceries and everyday essentials. Saving time, fuel and effort, same-day grocery delivery is a go-to essential for many of our clients. Shipt works with most grocery stores including Publix. You can even set a recurring grocery list for regular ordering. Our caregivers often create the list for or with the client, simplifying the whole process.

Services like Blue Apron can be ideal for seniors who enjoy cooking without doing all the prep. Nutrition often suffers as we age. Healthy, fresh meals provide the nutrients we need, especially when dealing with chronic illness or recuperating.

Tech-Enhanced Aging in Place

Health Tech

Health monitoring and medical technology is booming. Here are just a few examples that support you to age in place: electronic pillboxes and medication apps, health trackers, and home monitoring systems. Online medical records and communication systems benefit the patient, doctor and caregivers.

We’ll share much more in our upcoming post on preparing your home to age in place. Follow the EasyLiving blog or join us on Facebook for the latest!

Connection and Communication

As you age in place, technology plays another vital role…keeping you connected. Isolation and inactivity are killers. They can lead to health problems and cognitive decline. Elders aging in place need to stay connected and active.

Something as simple as setting up a smartphone or iPad with a few tools can help. Video chat with your loved one via Skype or Facetime. Watch movies, check out funny clips on Youtube, take an online class, listen to or watch church sermons. The barriers are low with a little bit of help setting things up. Our caregivers do this all the time. It opens up a whole new world for the client.

Warning!

When you want to age in place, you need a personalized PLAN. (This is where the human touch comes in!) Not every service or technology will work. It’s the right combination, for you, that matters.

If the resource doesn’t work for your situation, you’re just throwing good money after bad. A simple example comes from a client we worked with years ago. Her kids sold her car. They suggested she use taxis. No one tested that or showed her how to do it. She had the phone number, but was intimidated and had problems managing cash. The process requires complex thinking that was difficult in her stage of dementia. Our care manager assessed the situation and helped with several areas. To solve the transportation issue, she talked with the taxi company and set up an account (no more cash issues!). Then, she put simple instructions by the client’s phone and demonstrated using the service.

Similarly, meal delivery is great, but some seniors have little appetite or can’t handle the prep work. What they really need is the smell of cooking in the home and mealtime company. In that case, a caregiver’s human touch would be better. A one-size-fits all approach doesn’t work.

Get an assessment and build the right plan if you want to age in place.