This gentleman is remaining mentally active as he ages in place in his home – working his crossword puzzle (in pen) from his favorite chair, but he may find that moving about is becoming more of a challenge.
Aging is natural
Everything ever created gets older with time. Sometimes we place a higher value on older objects such as collectibles and investments. Nevertheless, aging is a natural process. We can’t arrest it or eliminate it. All we can do is accommodate it the best way that we can.
Our homes get older along with us, so it’s important that we monitor the physical needs and condition of our homes to make sure that they are keeping up with what we require in terms of safety, accessibility, and comfort.
While the thoughts of never aging may sound attractive to us, do we really want to remain 25 or 40, or some other age, forever? Look at all that we would have missed out on experiencing – even if there were some unpleasant experiences or hardships along the way. These life events have helped form us into the person we are today and provided wisdom to persevere into the future.
Physical changes are normal
If we planted a tree or a garden, and had it always look the same as when it was planted, we would not be happy. We expect them to grow and mature. So it is with us. While some of us may have had better childhood experiences than others, we are past that stage of life now and can be reassured that we don’t have to repeat it.
Nevertheless, just like the sapling that has turned into a mature tree, we are quite different than we were in our youth. Some things we may longingly remember, but getting older has its advantages.
One aspect of aging that we may not fully embrace however is the physical change that can happen – vision, balance, hearing, and our waistline, for instance.
The new us
Of course, not everyone will experience the same physical changes as we get older, but many of us will. This is a huge focus of our aging in place design for people.
Our eyesight is subject to change. Declining visual acuity means that images may not be as easy to understand. We may not interpret contrasts as well which can affect our ability to remain safe. We likely will require more ambient or directed light to see and read well.
Our hearing, touch, taste, balance, and olfactory sensations may decline or face various challenges as we get older.
Moving on
All of us face each new day with untold challenges and opportunities that we are able to face in part because of the lifetime of experiences and personal growth that has occurred to get us to this point. This is true for everyone – us, our family and friends, and our clients, existing and potential.
Getting older is a fact of life that we must recognize and address.
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