It is a very common occurrence that when people age they are usually isolated from their social network and even, sadly so, from their family relations and other bonding. This is even more profoundly noticed in those older citizens who age in different group live-in facilities. However, that should not be the case and will not be if you age in your place.
Research says that when people age in their place, or home to be specific, they have:
- A better mental and emotional condition
- A better lifestyle
- An improved health and most importantly
- A stronger social network and relationship with others within the home and beyond.
Not only aging in place help the seniors to retain their current social network but also allows them to strengthen and expand upon it. It is also seen in different surveys that aging in place allows seniors to:
- Stay near their existing friends and
- Host social events if they wish as well.
In short, aging in place provides the seniors with a lot of freedom and independence which is crucial for them when they reach at this vulnerable stage in their lives, both emotionally and physically.
It is for this reasons that doctors, psychologists and even the Philadelphia corporation for aging suggests old people to age in their homes rather than spend a lot of money on the group live-in facilities. This will ward off a lot of unwanted issues for the seniors that will affect their emotions and health as well both in the short as well as in the long term.
Benefits of maintaining social networks
There are lots of advantages of aging in place and maintaining your current social networks. It has a deeper and more positive impact is almost every activity of your life at this age, right from eating to pursuing your hobbies and interests.
In addition to that, aging in place is far more beneficial as compared to aging in other facilities simply due to the fact that the strengthened social networks will help you to gain a lot from the social communities. There are several such communities that provide:
- Active and more vibrant senior centers
- Other different senior groups to interact with and
- Several volunteer opportunities.
All these will provide a lot of mental satisfaction and peace to you just as it has to all other senior citizens. You will feel proud to still contribute to the social community just as you have in all these years before. This will in turn affect your mental as well as physical health in the most positive manner making your aging peaceful, happy and more relaxing at home.
Results in faster expansion of networks
It is often found that when you interact with other senior groups and their different social circle, it is far easier and more effective to expand your social network dramatically. When you stay with and around other older active adults you tend to follow them and imitate their acts as much as your health and physical conditions permit.
When people reach the age to join with the senior center groups and their activities, it is often seen that they find that it is much simpler to eat out instead of cooking at home.
- Overlooking the cost factor involved in it for a moment, this approach gives the seniors another useful and productive avenue to expand and strengthen their social connection.
- Considering the cost factor, in most such communities you will find a lot of local restaurants that offer discounts on their food items to the seniors, making eating out more affordable.
Are you concerned about the obesity factor? Well, here is something that will surely help you to do away with it and encourage you.
According to research it is seen that the obesity rate in seniors ranging from 65 to 74 years is pretty low at 40%. This means that the social activities that you may perform with other senior groups and circles will help you to stay more active which will in the process benefit your health as well as your weight. A complete peace in mind!
Effects in your memory
Surprising as it may seem to you, aging in place will also have a positive effect in your memory as well. Once again it is the social network and community living that will play a significant role in this matter.
It is seen that aging in place aids in slowing down the advancement of memory loss which is a very common and often scary prospect for many of the seniors as well as their family members as they age. This process is often expedited and influenced when they are moved into a new setting, that of a live-in facility. everything there is new and not used to them such as:
- The people around
- The roommate
- The bed and bedding
- The food and others that are required for a living.
Therefore, such an institutional environment in particular can worsen the situations and heighten the progression towards memory loss amongst the aging seniors.
On the other hand, due to the fact that you will be able to increase your social network connections when you age in your place and being able to maintain your current social network that is typically associated with staying in your community will help you a lot in slowing down the rate of decrease in your cognitive functions much dramatically and effectively.
In conclusion
Aging in your place has a lot of benefits. Period!
Research has shown that:
- Seniors that are involved with frequent and active social performances have a better living standards, lifestyle and health standards.
- It is also found that there is a 70% decrease in cognitive decline in seniors who live and age in their place as compared to those individuals who live and age in more isolated conditions of a live-in facility.
This is all due to the benefits of the familiarity of your surroundings that helps to trigger your memory, health and other conditions that will affect your aging significantly.
