Avoiding the Nursing Home

As we age we run the risk of landing on the slippery slope – senior housing, assisted living, and then the nursing home. Now ask yourself – have you ever met anyone in a nursing home who said they wanted to be there? A professor at the University Of Missouri School Of Nursing believes there must be a better way.

“Aging in Place” is a concept in long-term care that keeps people in their own homes with high quality nursing care. TigerPlace is one of 4 pilot sites testing this concept. It has 30 various-sized apartments with access to on-site fitness, meals, medical care, personal care services, and wellness programs. The aim is to replace senior housing and assisted living, and to delay or replace moving to a nursing home. So far the Aging in Place initiative has gathered enormous support, to the extent that one source claims “Some 70% of seniors spend the rest of their life in the place where they celebrated their 65th birthday.” But this doesn’t mean that better aging-in-place facilities aren’t urgently needed.

Fortunately, many universities and institutions are getting on this bandwagon. Courses for specialist builders, White House conferences, newsletters, and now a National Aging in Place Council. Just in time for the baby-boomer retirees!