Aging in place is no respecter of ages – it can begin as early in life as we might be ready to admit that our present home serves our needs quite well and that we like occupying it and want to remain in it.
No time like the present
If we have been waiting to get started aging in place, the wait is over. There is no point in delaying our acceptance of what we have been doing all along anyway. Many of us seem to think that we have to plan for aging in place or that we have to make a conscious declaration that we are doing so. It’s OK to have a discussion with family and friends and to admit it to ourselves, but it doesn’t require any type of formal statement.
We can begin aging in place just by doing so. Actually, we have been aging in place anyway. This is why there is no time like the present to begin since we already have done so. Continuing to live where we are, regardless of the type of dwelling we have or how long we have occupied it, means that we are aging in place. It’s that simple and requires no other action on our part – or from anyone else.
The time for getting ready has passed
The planning time, the getting ready time, and the making up our mind time to age in place have passed. We are now in the present, and we are aging in place – regardless of any formal planning that we may have done to get us to this point.
Aging in place simply means continuing to live where we are. In an ideal sense, we are living where we are in a safe, comfortable, convenient, and accessible way that allows us total enjoyment and freedom of our living space.
Let’s get past the notion that we need to formally decide to age in place. The mere fact that we are living where we are for as long as we have been doing so means that we are aging in place. The fact that we have not decided to move elsewhere, even if we have entertained such an idea or have casually looked into other places, means that we are committed to living where we are. Of course, we can change our minds, but we haven’t so far. There’s a good possibility that we won’t.
They say that no decision it’s still a decision so not specifically deciding to stay in our present home and location or not deciding to move or consider other living arrangements means that we actually have decided to age in place where we are. In this case, inaction counts the same as a decision to remain where we are.
Taking full advantage of aging in place
Because we have committed to remaining in our present home, with or without a formal declaration to this effect, we can begin enjoying (or in some cases continue enjoying) our long-term home and what it means to us. We have a long-term friend in our home. We have a relationship. It provides comfort and security for us as a place we enjoy staying in and returning to when we’ve been away.
While some people may be apprehensive about making a decision or may feel that they are locked into remaining in their present home if they make such a commitment to age in place, it’s really comforting rather than scary or risky. What does a person have to lose by finding a comfortable, satisfying, and secure arrangement by remaining in their present home?
Aging in place creates stability in one’s life. It eliminates the uncertainty of where to live. Rather than living in a perpetual state of not knowing if one’s current home was going to suffice long term and always being on the lookout for another place to occupy, aging in place long-term eliminates this doubt and provides a solid grounding for them. While many other issues confront us as we go about the business of living, where to live will no longer be one of them. It has been settled.
The benefits of our long-term home
Once we have decided (formally or not) to remain in our current home, several things also disappear from our concern. there is no more house hunting or reviewing real estate ads except for recreation. everything we do in our current home in terms of organization, painting, minor repairs and adjustments, or any other type of improvement will be for us at our enjoyment rather than preparing our home for someone else to like and eventually acquire.
Our time can be spent fully enjoying our home rather than dividing our time between liking our home and thinking it won’t suffice for our needs – that there has to be something better out there for us. This creates extra, and undo, anxiety and stress for us at a time when we have other concerns besides where to live that should be occupying our focus.
In the bigger picture, we won’t need to be packing up everything that we own and preparing to move all of it over several days into a new dwelling. Moving can be messy. At the very least, it is disruptive and quite stressful. Then, there is that adjustment period for learning the new home and adjusting to the neighborhood. We’ll need to master our new home’s layout and where we have stored various items. Eventually, we may unpack everything, but often a few items remain in boxes long after the physical move to a new address has concluded.