Often, when people are asked what their plans for aging are, they’ll say that, when they are old, they’ll start to make them. People who are in their 20s, 40s, 60s and 70s say the same thing. “I’ll do it when I’m old.” The problem with this plan is that “old” doesn’t happen to you. Old happens to other people. And so that critical planning for how we want to age in place? Often it doesn’t happen in time. A 2009 survey by the Pew Research Center showed that people 18 to 29 believe “old” happens at age 60. Middle-aged respondents said closer to 70, and those 65 and above said not until turning 74 (Taylor, P., Morin, R., Parker, K., Cohn, D. V., and Wang, W. (2009). Growing Old in America: Expectations vs. Reality.).

So perhaps waiting until you are old to plan how to age in place, really isn’t the best plan. Perhaps you should start it …. now.

The first thing to consider, is where do you want to live the remainder of your days? For many, the answer is home. Connecting with a place that provides in-home care, like Franklin VNA & Hospice, can help get any chronic illnesses under control, give you strengthening to maintain your independence, and even provide a home safety evaluation so if you need to make changes to your home, like a ramp or some grab bars, you have time to do that.

A second good place to connect with would be ServiceLink. They are New Hampshire’s Aging and Disability Resource Center. They can help connect you with personal care providers, legal services for will and estate planning, or with applications like Medicaid or the Choices for Independence Program, which was developed to help seniors stay in their homes as they age.

Lastly, if you haven’t taken some basic steps to plan for your future, like creating Advance Directives, establishing care with a Primary Care Provider, and speaking to a financial advisor about your estate, ensure that you look to those items as well.

A little planning for your Golden Years, can go a long way towards achieving your goals.
You have a choice in your homecare provider. Choose local. Choose Franklin VNA & Hospice.
For more information, call Franklin VNA & Hospice at (603) 934-3454 or visit www.FranklinVNA.org Your choice, your local VNA.