What is aging in place?
Aging in place means staying in your home or community for as long as you wish to or are capable of doing so.
How can I age in place?
For seniors and those getting closer to becoming seniors, to successfully age in place, you can begin by ensuring you have the health and social supports and services you need to live safely and independently.
Planning to age in place
Don’t wait until some sudden change occurs with your health or your mobility to start planning your senior years
Think about how you want to live as you age. What supports do you currently have? What supports might you need? What do expect your financial situation to be as you age?
Modifying your home to help you age in place
One of the most important things you can do to ensure you can stay in your home as you age is to assess your home to determine if it can meet your future needs.
You may want to consider making changes to your home to help you as you age. This might delay or even prevent the need for a future move. Home modifications might include making it more accessible to a wheelchair or walker by widening the doorways or install a chairlift or elevator.
If you reach a point where your home no longer meets your needs, perhaps you still want to live within your current community. There might be the possibility of moving into a more wheelchari accessible or smaller home. Or maybe you need to explore assisted living or long-term care.
Maybe you need a home without stairs, one that has handrails and ramps. Will you be able to maintain your home on your own or who will be available to help you?
Will you be able to afford to make the necessary changes to your home or to live in an assisted living facility?
Your cargivers
Do you have friends and family who act as your caregivers now or are willing to do so in the future? Talk to your friends and family
Sometimes additional supports are also available from non-profit organizations in your community, including churches, mosques, temples, and synagogues.
If you are planning on becoming a caregiver, there are also resources to help you in this role.
Caregivers Alberta has a number of resources to help support you — “Whether you’re looking for someone to talk to, trying to find resources, or want to better manage the stress of providing care—we can help.”
Aging safely – resources
The City of Calgary has many resources to help people age safely. These include:
home and personal safety
home maintenance and repair
grants and assistance with expenses
Resources for seniors from the City of Calgary
Elder Abuse
Unfortunately, elder abuse does occur in our community. Elder abuse is defined as any action or inaction by a person in a position of trust that causes harm to an older person.This includes emotional, physical, sexual, or financial abuse as well as neglect and violation of rights.
Calgary has an Elder Abuse Response Team, which is jointly supported by Carya, the Kerby Centre and the Calgary Police Service. To report a suspected case of elder abuse, call (403) 705-3250 (Elder Abuse Resource Line).
Other support for seniors at The Kerby Centre
Get help from Renaissance
Renaissance Lifestyles offers complete senior concierge services, which includes helping people, declutter, downsize and move, if necessary. We also provide a wide range of supports for seniors who need an extra hand. We accompany clients to medical visits, shop for groceries, gifts and personal products, assist with laundry, including folding and putting away & bedding, do housekeeping, and more.
Click here for more details on our Senior Concierge services.