How to Create a Sustainable Long-Term Care Plan for Aging in Place

Many families find it easy to postpone important discussions such as planning for long-term care during the aging process and other end of life decisions. People tend to make assumptions based on the experience of friends or family members because they lack personal experience of their own, making it difficult to navigate a system they don’t understand. As a result, it is not uncommon for families to procrastinate on properly planning for aging-related changes. It can be a frightening and overwhelming process so many people just ignore it, denying that any planning is needed. However, the changes that come with aging are inevitable (if we are blessed to live a long life) so planning for that future should be a priority to create peace of mind.

Audit the Home Before Mobility Becomes an Issue

The first step you can take is a home safety audit. This is simple to do before mobility becomes a major issue. Walk through the house and determine areas that might become difficult to navigate as age-related mobility issues progress. Make a list of things that you can fix immediately and a list of upgrades that require longer-term work.

Immediate fixes are generally inexpensive and have extremely high impact on quality of life. Easy improvements include installing better lighting in hallways and stairwells, adding grab bars and non-slip mats in bathrooms, clearing clutter from pathways, and making necessary changes to prevent falls or other injuries.

Longer term home improvement projects would include adding universal design features like curb-less showers, wider doorways, or a main floor bedroom. Improvements of this sort are not medical retrofits that could make the home feel sterile and uncomfortable. These are design choices that allow the home to function with you as your needs change. It is better to have these improvements in place before you need them to prevent emergency upgrades which could be more expensive. Make your home work for you before it becomes a problem.

Build a Tiered Care Plan, Not a Static One

One of the most common mistakes in long-term planning is treating care as a binary: either you are perfectly fine or you need full-time assistance. But that is not a realistic view. The reality is that your needs change gradually as you age and a good long-term care plan accounts for those changes.

Begin with mapping out a tiered care schedule. The first tier covers non-medical support systems such as transportation needs, grocery shopping, meal preparation, and daily housekeeping chores. Providing assistance with daily tasks will reduce the burden on aging seniors and their family caregivers which can delay the need for more intensive care. The second tier introduces personal care including help with daily living activities like bathing and dressing which would typically be provided by a home health aide. The third tier covers skilled nursing or more intensive supervision, particularly if cognitive decline becomes a factor.

You can’t predict when or if a person might need more support and there is no list of straightforward signs to indicate an immediate need. Therefore, the objective of planning for the future is to ensure you have reliable resources and a dependable support network ready to step in when it becomes necessary. A long-term care plan will prevent any delays in immediate care, making the transition less stressful.

Create a Communication Structure That Actually Works

The success of a long-term care plan is determined by how well the parties involved are able to maintain coordination, cooperation, communication, and cohesiveness. Discrepancies in communications between family members who live in different locations, a changing group of professional aides, and primary care physicians who see the patient periodically may cause aging-related issues to go unnoticed.

To maintain a system of clear and accurate communications, a shared care log can serve as a common source of information for all caregivers. You can use a simple sharable digital document or a specific caregiving app to share details about changes in appetite, sleep, mood, and medications or record any other important details no matter how insignificant they may seem. Care logs can be an essential tool when families need to shift from overseeing the care themselves to seeking professional assistance.

For families in the Lehigh Valley region, partnering with home care Allentown PA providers who ensure daily caregiver consistency will help minimize communication gaps caused by frequent changes in aides. Daily coverage consistency is important for the quality of care provided and for ensuring the safety of the senior.

Understand the Financial Reality Early

More than three-quarters of adults over 50 want to age in place, meaning they want to remain in their own homes for as long as they’re able. Yet less than half believe they will be able to do so with finances being a significant reason. However, the sooner you start to talk about it and make a long-term plan, the better and more affordable your options will be.

Financial conversations can be very uncomfortable for some families. Understanding that home care can be tiered with part-time and full-time options and shared among family members can ease some of the stress and financial burden of this process.

According to a 2017 AARP study, family-provided home health care was valued at over $500 billion. A daily caregiver in your home from a professional agency can cost between $100 and $200 a day. If 24/7 care is required, it can cost over $40,000 a year, getting exponentially more expensive as the level of care increases. However, there are assistance programs and other resources to help reduce these costs.

Keep the Senior in the Driver’s Seat

A successful strategy includes a mental aspect that is equal in importance to the practicality of the plan. A senior who perceives that care is being imposed on them is more likely to reject it, thereby unnecessarily increasing certain age-related risks. Instead, encourage them to be an active part of the process.

Involve them in discussions, offering options for them to make as many decisions on their own as possible. Where would they like to live? What aspects of their daily routine are non-negotiable? What type of assistance do they find acceptable and what do they consider intrusive? Other topics to discuss and accommodate for include relief care for relatives who are caregivers, companion services to alleviate loneliness, and regular assessments of evolving needs. It is important to consider all responses when determining the most effective strategy for long-term success.

Whether you are planning for a family member or for yourself, it is always important to maintain the best quality of life and ensure that our later years are the best years!

Keeping it on the edge,

Shelbee

Cover Image by Yeji Jun on Unsplash