Aging in Place is a program that helps people by designing houses that age and grow with them.
Today I’m joined once again by my friend and Aging in Place expert Valerie Jurik to discuss supporting and caring for our aging community.
According to Valerie, since the Baby Boomers started turning 65 in 2011, there are 10,800 more turning 65 every day. That rate will continue until the year 2029. When that time comes, one out of every five people will be 65 and older—or 20% of our population.
Those are numbers that we can all relate to. We all either have loved ones that are aging or know people that are aging. My own father fell ill this past year, and the challenges and heartbreak of having to move him from our personal home to another facility in another community were devastating and hurtful on our family.
Aging in Place is trying to be the solution to that same challenge that families face all the time. Is there any way that our loved ones can stay in their home for as long as possible? If this was available last year when my father was dealing with Alzheimer’s and dementia, we would’ve chosen to keep our home in an Aging in Place position to allow him to be there as long as possible.
Aging in Place designs a house to make it easier to live in.
That all comes through designing the house to make it easier to live in. As we age, things become harder for us to do. Aging in Place simply means to live at home as long as possible safely and independently. What can you do to your house to create that environment? What can you do when you buy or sell a house to create it for the interested party?
When we think of Aging in Place, the first thing we think of are older folks, but that’s not necessarily the target market. This affects everybody. No matter what your station is in life, you can buy a house that is Aging in Place so that you can grow through the house.
Say you have a house with a stepless entry. Most people would assume that that’s there for someone in a wheelchair, but what about a woman with a baby stroller? This kind of easier access into the house is an example of Aging in Place because anybody of any ability can get into your house.
A house designed age and grow with you is what Aging in Place is purely about. For Valerie, there’s nothing like educating people on how to do this. As for us at Team Ruby, we plan on continuing this discussion because we’re all about helping our friends, family, clients, and community at large.
If you have any questions for Valerie, you can visit her website or give her a call at 919-599-6940. If you have any questions for us regarding buying or selling, please feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you.
