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.

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**

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

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

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

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.

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

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.*

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

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.

Advance Care Planning Fact Sheets. *Adult Day Care*, eldercare.acl.gov/Public/Resources/Advanced\_Care/Index.aspx

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.