Regardless of our current age or how many different ages and generations might be living together, we have gotten a firsthand glimpse of being around each other for extended periods and aging in place.
We stayed home out of necessity
Over the past nearly two years, most of us have spent a lot of time at home. Initially, this was not by choice as many businesses, eateries, recreational venues, and other places we typically visited were closed Some still are or are working reduced schedules.
Largely we remained at home although some essential services search as grocery stores, pharmacies, convenience stores (including gas), and medical facilities remained open with different rules and adjusted hours. Additionally, some food establishments allowed take-out or used a delivery service.
After learning how to stay at home and conduct business online – conferencing, attending meetings, and connecting with associates and clients remotely rather than in person – many of us found that this was a pleasant alternative to the hectic pace that had characterized us previously.
What we learned
While all of us are always aging in place in our present homes, most people didn’t think of their lifestyle in these terms. Their homes were fine, and they enjoyed coming back to them after being away at the office (or school) or on a business trip or while volunteering, but they had not considered the possibilities of living in their homes full-time without leaving them in the customary ways for employment or activities.
Not many of us would have selected to make a serious change or adjustment in the way we conducted business or attended school by remaining at home and participating in all of our external interactions over the Internet and telephone, but we found the new paradigm to have many benefits for us and our families.
We developed a closeness and renewed bond between family members and pets that we had not anticipated or expected. Without the pressure or demands of leaving home every day to go to the office or school, we had additional time to conduct business at home and still attend to the personal needs of those in our home. We had time to get to know each other better, to find out more about each other’s needs and interests, and to actually spend quality time with each other.
Relating to aging in place
Now that we have spent extended amounts of time living in and working from home, and being in close proximity to the others sharing our home with us (people and pets), it’s rather easy to envision doing this same thing even when our current careers are finished.
We may decide to transition into a cottage industry or consulting from our homes, but the key ingredient here is the home base. We are comfortable with our home and find no reason to change it.
This is aging in place in the truest sense, and it has taken on a new meaning for us. Some of us have discovered this concept for the first time. Those who were not familiar with the aging in place idea before, have lived it, experienced it firsthand, and generally like it.