Seniors Who Age in Place and the CAPS that Help Them Do It

When the time comes that you must make a decision for yourself or for a loved one that is simply unable to manage their own day-to-day living anymore, it can be a very stressful time. Shipping a family member off to a nursing home because you cannot provide for their needs often engenders within both them and you feelings of anxiety, pressure, and guilt.

So in the event that you are faced with such a decision, whether for yourself or for a close relative, taking a hard line of honesty is necessary to make the correct choice for you and your family members. But part of being so honest includes scrutinizing the emotional and even ethical ambiguities which are bound to arise.

If they are given the option, the vast majority of seniors would strongly prefer to remain in their own home as they age, despite their changing needs. There has evolved a special term for being able to do so: aging in place. This refers to an elderly individual remaining in their own home rather than relocating to a care-giving facility and still being able to retain a degree of independence (while receiving any supplemental assistance they might need).

Aging in place is a concept celebrated by seniors because it provides them with a sense of pride in their lives, as they maintain a sense of autonomy, but concerned younger family members (like children and grandchildren) are able to receive peace of mind without having to forfeit their primary pursuits in life.

That peace of mind can come in part because there is a growing professional field dedicated to making aging in place a reality for many seniors. Because of the increasing demand for specialized care, there are now "Certified Aging in Place Specialists," or CAPS for short (also known as elder care specialists) which are trained to be aware of and meet the needs of seniors living in their own home.

CAPS are generally available through different organizations and can be "rented," so to speak, for certain hours of the day or can be available on-site for twenty-four hour care. Many of them specialize in aiding a senior to get through extraordinary circumstances, such as Alzheimer's disease or the death of a spouse. So if you think that these types of obstacles are insurmountable, you may be surprised at what CAPS can do.

Another benefit of allowing the elderly to remain in their own homes is the presence of and interaction with a familiar community. If anxious children develop the mindset, "If I don't take care of Mom and Dad, no one will," it thoroughly discounts the opportunities presented to members of the community to be involved and help seniors to handle simplistic needs--walking the dog, hanging up laundry to dry, or bringing in groceries.

Sometimes we allow ourselves to be constricted by the, "You have to do it yourself if you want it done right," attitude, which keeps us from seeing the simple benevolence in others.

Some may think that allowing the elderly the age in place takes too much of a gamble with their health and well-being, but the truth is that our society is beginning to recognize seniors' wish to be able to remain in their own homes as long as possible, and a new field is opening up just to be able to mold to that desire.

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