Aging-in-Place and Technologies for Success

'''Aging-in-Place and Technologies for Success

Aging-in-Place is a concept of “having the ability to live in one’s home and community safely, independently, and comfortably, regardless of age, income or ability level.”1 Livability can be optimized through the incorporation of universal design principles, telehealth and other assistive technologies.

Objectives: 

The objectives of this page are to:

1.    Understand aging-in-place and successful HIPFACTS

2.    State challenges to implementing aging-in-place parameters

3.    Learn about current technologies which can assist with implementing aging-in-place

4.    See opportunities for future use of technologies to support aging-in-place

5.    Learn about additional resources that are available to caregivers

Information About Aging in Place

What is Aging-in-Place?

Aging-in-Place allows older adults with or without cognitive or physical disability to remain independent in their home. Participants identified relatively simple, low-cost, and effective supports to enable them to adapt to change, while retaining independence and resilience. Successful aging in place requires integrated, responsive, and accessible primary health and community services.

Priorities when planning for effective and successful Aging-in-Place (HIPFACTS):2

Health: support for self-management, health professionals as needed

Information services: timely, accessible, online, face to face, one stop

Practical support: targeted, timely, self-directed, affordable.

Finance: subsidies for those in need.

Keeping active: physically and mentally

Company: community, family, and pets.

Transport: affordable, reliable, accessible

Safety: personal, house, and environmental safety and security

''What are some challenges related to Aging-in-Place?''

Older adults are not as willing to try new methods when old ones work for them, and they do not want to be a burden on others, so they would prefer not to ask for help in order to learn new methods.3 Other concerns about issues that adversely affect access to technologies among older adults include problems of affordability and appropriateness, low self-efficacy, lack of knowledge about availability and use of devices, as well as challenging ergonomic and sensory issues that hamper their ease of use.4 We have to find measures which are salient, meaningful and universally accepted and understood so that older adults are more willing to try new methods.

Evidence for Use of the Aging-in-Place and Assistive Technologies

The use of technology to support Aging in Place has shown to have lower costs when compared to aging outside the home. However, there can be some large upfront costs and renovations initially. There is a reported association with improvements in medication compliance, knowledge of disease, and increased patient satisfaction when using assistive technologies to aid aging in place.5

What type of Assistive Technologies are available to use with Aging-in-Place?

Assistive technologies include communications, health and wellness monitoring, home safety and security. Technology specifically tailored to assist with home automation, telehealth services, and ambient intelligence are becoming more conventional. Remote monitoring like Unattended Autonomous Surveillance system, Geographic Information Systems and Global Positioning Systems can make it easier for older adults to navigate their communities safely and gain greater mobility and independence while family members can be reassured and informed on the location of their loved one.

What developments are being made to support the future of Aging-in-Place?

With the rapid growth of mobile phones, paralleled by the rapidly aging population, there exists a golden opportunity to utilize mobile phone technologies to help manage older adult health and to positively affect their quality of life and well-being.3

Central to a successful implementation of new technology is the tailoring of technologies to the specific needs of each community-dwelling individual. Together stakeholders (older adults, care professionals, managers, technologists and policy makers/advisors) will need to collaborate to support this type of service delivery on a large scale.6

Additional Resources for Caregivers

In addition to supporting your loved ones through aging-in-place, there are other steps you can take to help them through the aging process when you can’t be close by.

''Long Distance Care Giving - If you live an hour or more away from a person who needs care, you are a long-distance caregiver. This kind of care can take many forms—from helping with money management and arranging for in-home care to providing respite care for a primary caregiver and planning for emergencies.7

''Tips for Success with Long Distance Care Giving 8''

·  Make sure at least one family member has written permission to receive medical and financial information

·  Put all the vital information in one place—perhaps in a notebook or in a shared, secure online document

·  Schedule conference calls with doctors, the assisted living facility team, or nursing home staff so several relatives can participate in one conversation and get up-to-date information about a relative's health and progress

·  Talk with a family member or friend in the community who can provide a realistic view of what is going on

·  Help the person stay in contact, but have a plan in place to cope with numerous phone calls

·  Attend training that can teach you how to safely move someone from a bed to a chair, how to help someone bathe, and how to prevent and treat bed sores, as well as basic first aid

Advanced Care Planning - Making plans now for the care you want when you have a serious illness is called “advance care planning.” Advance care planning helps you make your care decisions now and in the future. Planning involves learning about your illness and understanding your choices for treatments and care.9 Setting up an advanced directive includes making a living will and selecting a healthcare proxy.10

Eldercare Locator - https://eldercare.acl.gov/Public/Index.aspx

National Association of Area Agencies on Aging - https://www.n4a.org/

National Institute on Aging - https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/caregiving

Family Care Navigator - https://www.caregiver.org/family-care-navigator

CDC Healthy Aging - https://www.cdc.gov/aging/index.html

References

1.    Healthy Places. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, www.cdc.gov/healthyplaces/terminology.htm.

2.    Grimmer K, Kay D, Foot J, Pastakia K. Consumer views about aging-in-place. ''Clin Interv Aging''. 2015;10:1803-1811.

3.    Joe J, Demiris G. Older adults and mobile phones for health: A review. ''J Biomed Inform''. 2013;46(5):947-954.

4.    Satariano WA, Scharlach AE, Lindeman D. Aging, place, and technology: Toward improving access and wellness in older populations. J Aging Health. 2014;26(8):1373-1389.

5.    Graybill EM, McMeekin P, Wildman J. Can aging in place be cost effective? A systematic review. PLoS One. 2014;9(7)..

6.    Peek STM, Wouters EJM, Luijkx KG, Vrijhoef HJM. What it Takes to successfully implement technology for aging in place: Focus groups with stakeholders. J Med Internet Res. 2016;18(5):1-13. doi:10.2196/jmir.5253.

7.    Long-Distance Caregiving. National Institute on Aging, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, www.nia.nih.gov/health/caregiving/long-distance-caregiving.

8.    Long-Distance Caregiving: Tips for Success. National Institute on Aging, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, www.nia.nih.gov/health/long-distance-caregiving-tips-success.

9.    Advance Care Planning Fact Sheets. Adult Day Care, eldercare.acl.gov/Public/Resources/Advanced_Care/Index.aspx

10. Advance Care Planning: Healthcare Directives. National Institute on Aging, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, www.nia.nih.gov/health/advance-care-planning-healthcare-directives.