We are at the starting line of 2022, and the entire year lies ahead of us – unsure of exactly what will happen or how it will unfold with its many undulations, twists, turns, detours, and surprises.
Welcome to another new year
We have embarked on a new opportunity – all of us. We have made it through another year (2021), whether we maintained our health and ability or we experienced challenges along the way. The point is we are here – at the beginning of a new year!
This is classic aging in place because all of us have been aging during the past year (and likely several others prior to 2021), and we are looking for ways to remain safe and healthy during 2022.
We woke up this year (today) where we went to sleep last year (last night). We definitely are aging in place.
A new year means being ready
Starting a new anything – job, jigsaw puzzle, novel, hike, or anything else where we are making something happen or engaging it as an active participant – means the potential for encountering some unknown or challenging issues. There likely will be some surprises or unexpected issues.
We cannot know what’s in store for us in 2022. We’ll take it a day at a time and see what unfolds.
However, we can be prepared by having a dwelling that is the safest and most accessible for us as possible based on our current physical needs and how we think they might remain stable or change slightly in the short-term.
Accommodating changes
One of the great things about aging in place designs is the ability for them to adapt to changing needs and circumstances. As we progress through 2022, there may be some changes (mobility, sensory, or cognitive) that we, our families, or our clients experience that will suggest modifications that should be made in the dwellings they have today to accommodate their needs.
Aging in place is a very fluid concept that suggests that people need to remain safe and comfortable in their living space and enjoy it to the greatest extent possible. Some people will do so will very little or even no external help. Others will require our assistance. Some will have large budgets and some more modest ones.
Onward in 2022 as all of us prepare to continue aging in place!