"Preserving the Ability to Remain Safely in Your Home"

With the normal aging process comes increased difficulty in performing many day-to-day tasks of living. At some point, the ability to remain safely and comfortably at home is compromised.  Recognition of one's changing health status can happen slowly over time, or be apparent all at once. In many instances, there is a "snowball effect" with seemingly minor changes triggering more significant problems.

One may gradually lose the ability to do light housekeeping. The inability to maintain the house may extend itself to shopping for food, keeping the kitchen in working order, and finally lack of interest in meal preparation. With a reduced interest in food, nutritional needs are not met, leading sometimes to serious health problems.

Seniors themselves often do not recognize the need for assistance. It is often family members or family friends who are able to clearly see the unmet needs of the aging person

Whether recognized by the senior himself or by the family members, it is still often difficult to begin to take the appropriate steps to make arrangements for support because of the resistance many of us have in confronting these changes in our physical and mental capabilities. Denial and resistance to aging seems to be part of human nature. For all of us it is likely that after living a long independent life it will be hard to face our increasing frailty - especially when other people are pointing it out to us.

However, the sooner these changing conditions are acknowledged and some type of assistance is obtained, the better for the senior's wellbeing.