Innovative Building and Remodeling Solutions
for Independent Living

There are many agencies and organizations that have an abundance of information and resources about aging-in-place. National groups like AARP and the National Aging-In-Place Council (NAIPC) are good, reliable sources for seniors and persons with disabilities who want to learn more about health, lifestyle, and financial options related to staying in their homes as they age. And, of course, companies like Home Evolutions can help you with any home modifications that you may need.

But since aging-in-place continues to grow as a movement and philosophy, there are more and more regional and locally-based companies and agencies that offer personal assistance to seniors and persons with disabilities as an increasing number of people choose independent living.

One such company is The Age-in-Place Plan, which is located in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Age-in-Place Plan (The Plan) offers advice, assessment, and ideas to local seniors and persons with disabilities about successfully preparing for what will make their aging-in-place possible, effective, and safe. The Plan accomplishes this by addressing concerns and possible problems, recommending solutions, and condensing all of the various options available for those who wish to age-in-place, into one comprehensive approach.

The Plan designates four important “need” factors to consider when planning to age-in-place:

•    Physical (making one’s home a senior- or disability-friendly environment);
•    Financial (ensuring that one’s savings will provide a lifetime of income);
•    Medical (having continued access to adequate home healthcare);
•    Supplemental (receiving possible funds from external sources like the government).

Physical needs refer to having a place to live that is safe and fits one’s abilities. Some of the areas of your home that may require specific attention as you age-in-place include:  entry-ways, kitchens, bedrooms, bathrooms, yards, as well as lighting. These are definitely examples of modifications that Home Evolutions can help you plan and implement.

Financial needs refer to managing one’s savings and retirement accounts in order to insure consistent, secure, and adequate funding while one ages-in-place. The Plan can help you assess your finances and determine if funds like your IRA have any serious structural flaws that may affect or impede your ability to live independently.

Medical needs refer to the possibility of acquiring a chronic illness which can negatively affect one’s desire to age-in-place. Chronic means either deficiencies in activities of daily living, cognitive impairment, or a complex/unstable medical condition. The Plan believes that having access to home treatment for a chronic illness is the most important aspect of being able to age-in-place successfully—and the only dependable funding source for chronic illness comes from long-term healthcare insurance. The Plan helps seniors and persons with disabilities prepare for the treatment, homecare, and cost aspects of this potential problem so that they can remain living independently for as long as possible.

Supplemental needs refer to valuable services from the Federal Government which can provide seniors and persons with disabilities with additional sources of medical assistance and monetary funds. The Plan offers recommendations for financial assistance that is available through government supplemental benefits. It also discusses the long-term funding options of reverse mortgages.

Companies similar to The Age-in-Place Plan and Home Evolutions may also be available in your area to help you plan and implement a successful future of aging-in-place. Check with your local seniors or persons with disabilities advocacy groups or contact national organizations like AARP or the NAIPC for more information.

In addition to utilizing the home remodeling services of companies like Home Evolutions to adapt the living spaces of those who choose to age-in-place, there are also high-tech advancements that are greatly facilitating such future-living options for seniors and persons with disabilities.

An article on the Government Technology Web site discusses new, “tracking” services that let loved-ones who live away from their aging or disabled relatives keep an electronic eye on them. For example, a daughter living in Seattle can monitor her father in Los Angeles. In “real time,” she can check on his vital signs and physical activities via a secure internet connection or even her cell phone.

Such technology works this way:  A home is wired with unobtrusive sensors and the resident wears a sensing bracelet. When any significant items in the house are handled, the sensors detect it. Then, a detailed, daily log records what the monitored person is eating, how well they are keeping up with housework and hygiene, whether they took their medications on time, or remembered to turn off the stove, etc. This data can then be accessed by family members or other caregivers.

The following are two examples of recent developments for these types of innovations:

•    Computer engineers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed memory-aid systems that allow people to look back on instant digital photos of themselves to help them remember what tasks they have completed each day.

•    University of Washington researchers are developing a handheld GPS device that uses artificial intelligence to predict where forgetful persons are trying to go and help them navigate their way there through a series of verbal prompts and directional instructions.

This technology is more than just interesting gadgets—much of it is specifically tested, designed, and marketed to support the age-in-place movement. In fact, there already are many working systems in existence that can help seniors and persons with disabilities remain living in their own homes:

•    Some home builders are offering smart floors that can sense when a person has fallen and automatically summon emergency help.

•    Researchers for Intel are finalizing a system that precisely chronicles someone’s movements inside their home. The system uses artificial intelligence to determine what is happening. For example, if the resident runs water, picks up a spoon, touches a kettle, or opens the cabinet where cups are stored—the home’s high-tech computer concludes that tea has just been made and it logs the information onto a database that caregivers can track.

•    Philips Electronics has begun marketing the TeleStation, an information hub that collects data from various medical testing devices set up in the user’s home. It transmits blood-sugar readings and a laundry list of other vital signs to the patient’s doctors. Doctors can then send electronic questions to the patient about symptoms, medication side effects, diet, and pain. The patient’s responses allow the doctor to determine if an office visit is needed.

•    QuietCare and GrandCare use a combination of remote environmental sensing, passive physiological sensing, artificial intelligence, and networking technologies to assist with the care of people in their homes. These systems combine various aspects of smart home technology, internet communications, and telehealth that can monitor things like movement throughout the house, inside temperature, door openings, as well as the resident’s weight, blood pressure, and glucose readings—they can even alert if a person does not go to bed or cannot get out of a chair.

For more information on home monitoring systems that are now available to consumers, click on the links to the companies listed above. To peruse the latest technological innovations that assist aging-in-place, visit www.ageinplacetech.com.

Last week, we offered you some tips for weathering your home during the winter months. While taking these actions can help lower your utility costs, some seniors and people with disabilities will still need assistance with paying their utility bills this winter.

Energy assistance is available for low-income residents in many states. For those who may have problems paying their utility bills, the federally-funded, Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), provides cash and crisis assistance with residential heating bills.

LIHEAP helps low-income individuals pay their heating bills through energy assistance grants. Since every state has a fixed amount of money to spend on energy assistance and weatherization, you should apply as early as possible. LIHEAP operates during the heating season beginning November 3 and ending in March.

If you’re not eligible for LIHEAP, but still need some financial assistance, call your utility companies to arrange a payment plan if you fall behind your utility bills. Many utility companies have Energy Assistance Programs (EAPs) that you can access if you experience a temporary financial crisis.

Additionally, crisis grants may be available for those of you who have an emergency situation and are in jeopardy of losing your heat. Emergency situations include:

•    Broken heating equipment;
•    Leaking lines that must be fixed or replaced;
•    Lack of fuel;
•    Termination of utility service.

Another program you should be aware of is Customer Assistance Programs (CAPs) through the Dollar Energy Fund. CAPs help make monthly payments more manageable for utility customers. The guidelines of CAPs vary with each utility company, but the goals are the same—to help you keep up with your bills. To apply, contact your utility company.

Can you share with us other programs that are available to help seniors and people with disabilities manage their utility bills this winter?

As winter approaches, staying warm and safe can become a challenge for many seniors and people with disabilities. Although staying indoors as much as possible can help reduce your risk of having an automobile accident or falling on the ice, there are other problems that you may face in your home when the weather gets cold.

Poor insulation, drafty windows, and clogged furnace filters are just a few things that can spike your heating bill in the winter and raise your risk of developing hypothermia. Protecting your home against the cold can keep you warm and dry this winter, and also lower your energy use up to 50%, which means big savings on your next heating bill.

Home Evolutions can perform a walk-through of your home and identify the areas where you’re losing energy, such as cracked windows, gaps in doors, and inadequate or no insulation in the attic.

One tip for conserving energy this winter is to set your furnace between 68 and 70 degrees. When you’re going to be away from your home during the day, set the furnace thermostat 3 to 5 degrees lower. You can also use a draft stopper underneath exterior doors to reduce drafts. Do you have air infiltration through your windows? Use caulk to weatherstrip the doors and windows that leak air.

Conservation Consultants of Pittsburgh offers these other energy conservation tips:

Breathe easier: Help your furnace or central air conditioner breathe easier—check the filter at least once a month and replace it when it’s dirty.

Chill out your washing machine: About 90% of the energy used to wash clothes goes towards heating water. A laundry detergent designed for cold water washing usually works just as well. Switch to cold water and save $30–$40 in energy costs annually. In addition, always running full loads in your washer can save 3,400 gallons of water a year.

Retire your refrigerator: An old fridge (pre-2001) is one of the biggest energy hogs in your home unless you have an electric furnace or whole-house air conditioning. If you have an older refrigerator, replace it with a new one that’s Energy Star™ certified. It will use about 40% less electricity.

A bright idea: Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs) have become better and cheaper, and they’re available just about everywhere light bulbs are sold. Switch from old-style bulbs to CFLs and you’ll cut your electricity bill for lighting by around 75%.

The big turn-off: The easiest way to save energy and save money? It takes only a fraction of a second—turn off the lights when you leave a room!

Use your (shower) head: Replacing old shower heads with new, low-flow models can cut energy and water use by 25% or more. Faucet aerators and toilet tank volume-reducing bladders will also help conserve water. Fix your leaky faucets—a faucet that drips 3 times in 5 seconds wastes 13 gallons of water per day and 4,927 gallons per year.

The energy trap: The U.S. Department of Energy & the Environmental Protection Agency figure that you’ll save around $34 a year in energy costs if you clean the lint trap in your clothes dryer before each and every load.

What other tips/advice do you have for conserving energy this winter?