Life has a full course of challenges to send our way – not every day, but quite often – so we need a dependable anchor such as our home where we can age in place and take on what life sends to us.
Life is subject to change
One thing we know about life is that it is fluid. We use expressions such as “that’s life” or “life happens.”
As we get older, we face challenges and various setbacks – mostly minor and inconsequential. Although occasionally, we have more serious ones. Life is constantly moving – whether we like it or not or wish that it pause or slow down once in a while. It doesn’t remain still or static. Just when we think we have it figured out, something else comes along that we need to adjust to or take into account.
Because of the speed at which life happens and everything we face along the way, we should have an accessible, comfortable, and safe dwelling as a retreat or sanctuary where we feel at ease being in and know that there are no serious challenges or barriers to our getting around and using our living space.
Life happens
Not only is life subject to change – such change is guaranteed to happen. Life can evolve in front of us in ways we did not expect or contemplate. And, these changes can happen in an instant. One moment we are fine, and the next we have an issue confronting us. It could be with our health, with the health of loved ones (younger or older), or it could be with our home. Of course, it could affect anything we own as well, but the big three of concerns would be us, our family, and our home.
This is where aging in place strategies and design enter the picture.
A car accident, major slip and fall, or onset of a serious illness or medical condition comes at us all of a sudden. We don’t have time to prepare. One moment we are fine, and the next, we are dealing with more serious, and perhaps long-term issues – possibly the remainder of our lives. Of course, we are talking about us in the general sense meaning everyone, including the general public and the clients we already serve or have in the past or will in the future.
Taking life as it comes
To enjoy life, we have to be able to adapt to changing circumstances – including those we knew about or anticipated and those that were a total surprise. One of the best ways to prepare for life’s many events is to have a home that serves as a safe haven and equalizer – one that we can retreat to or use as a comfortable base as we weather the events of living.
We can’t choose what happens to us or what might come along, although we can be prepared for some potential happenings. Nevertheless, we can select a very comfortable, safe, and accessible dwelling – preferably the one we already have and have been enjoying for many years – to use as an anchor against life’s storms. Life isn’t necessarily easy or predictable, but we can prepare for the journey by having a home that serves us well that allows us to meet life’s challenges and deal with them.