Aging In Place Is Far More Comfortable Than Aging In A Facility

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A vital part of the human cycle is aging, which no one can avoid. There are lots of problems that are associated with aging such as:

• Diseases and ailments related to age
• Reduced mobility and bodily functions
• Change in mood and mentality
• Mood swipes and most importantly 
• Dependency.

With all these issues that crop up when you age, it is obvious that you will tend to think whether you should stay at home once you reach old age or move into a care facility. If there is any requirement for hospitalization, the dilemma seems to be even more.However, if you have to really make a decision between aging in your place or aging in a care facility, it is recommended by the experts as well as the area agency on aging that you age in your home, provided if the other conditions allow. No place like homeThere are several good reasons to say so. The most significant reason of all is that there is no better place than your home to stay or even to age. You have everything of your choice and liking in here such as:

• Your favorite rocking chairs
• Your collection of books
• Your own bed and comfortable mattress
• The know surrounding and environment you are accustomed to
• The temperature
• The smells
• The new people around
• The familiarity of the space and much more.

All these go towards your comfort of staying in your own home as well as age happily with your loved ones around. Research says that this leads to a healthier aging and living.The comfort and privacy factorsHospital, care facilities, and nursing homes, on the other hand, will not only have a bed and mattress that you are not used to sleeping In, but will also have everything that is so unfamiliar that you will have to compromise with. In addition to that, there is literally a high chance in these places that you will have to deal with an unknown roommate in a semi-private situation who may not be of your choosing, even though you live in a so called best, friendly, relaxing and most homely living conditions.Therefore, it can be summarized that aging in your place will offer you more comfort just as you desire as well as the privacy that is most important in this stage of your life. These are simply not available in most of the live-in facilities, no matter how much amount you pay for your stay here every month.Balancing necessity and the lawsAll human beings succumb to necessity, sometimes in a good way and in most of the time either in compulsion or in a bad way. Moreover, it is also required to abide by the state and federal laws, as seen in most of the cases when it comes to aging-related matters. As for the group living facilities, it is required to follow and do a few certain things in order to ensure that the people that stay in there are subject to no discrimination, ill-treatments and abuses. It is their rights that need to be protected at all cost and in the best possible way at all times.In these group living facilities, the way in which different things are done is a lot different from the ways that are done at home such as:

• Certain things may need to may be required to be cleaned with industrial cleaners that have strong smells
• There may not be any carpet anywhere for the ease of cleaning in many such care and live-in facilities in most of the cases
• The doors and windows may not lock properly in many such facilities either for security reasons or otherwise and much more.

These arrangements and changes are not required to be done at home when a person decides to age there. Everything there seems to be prim and proper and as per your liking in your home. This, in turn, ensures a better mental satisfaction apart from the physical aspects.Nursing Home Reform ActA bit of knowledge about the legal aspects will be better for you to make a comprehensive and educated choice between aging in place or in a care facility. According to the Nursing Home Reform Act of 1987:

• The government tries to deal with the neglect in nursing homes that is so common for the patients in there. This Act looks at ways in which that can be reduced.
• This legislation however afforded only the basic rights to the people such as their right to proper food and nutrition. 

In addition to that, there are a few regulations suggested in this Act regarding Medicare and Medicaid and it is applicable to many other standards. However, there seems to be something lacking in it. For example, as per the latest rules formulated and applicable to long-term care facility, only new facilities or those facilities that are newly certified are required to provide a bathroom in all their residential rooms that have a sink and a commode!These lacunas offer massive loopholes to the facilities for the old and aged. These loopholes impact directly and damage the comfort of the aging citizens in staying in such facilities. This leaves aging in your home as the only and probably the best option to choose between the two.Use of home careNow that you know that aging in place is the best option to choose, it is the concern with your health and medical conditions if any that you should focus on. Well, that is easy. Just hire a home care agency for that matter.You will come across several such home care service providers that will do anything to make the seniors feel comfortable in their homes. Depending on their service policies, they can help in different aspects such as:

• Cooking basic meals
• Bathing and dressing
• Transportation and doctor visits and more.

This will cost you a bit but there are several service providers that offer their services at an affordable cost. All you need to do is research before you choose one such service provider.    

Courtney P.

I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!

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