Resources for Retiring in Place

By Lisa Schmidtke, Joyce M. Konczyk and Nancy Vest

There are many housing options for seniors today including apartments, assisted living facilities and retirement communities that offer personal care, meals and community activities. But what if a senior wants to live in their own home for as long as possible? A solution might be to call on a loved one for help, but this is complicated for many families. One in four American households are caring for a relative age 50 or older and working full or part time and raising children under 18 years of age (NAC/AARP, 1997). By employing some simple resources, seniors and those limited in mobility may be able to live in their home longer with independence and dignity.

Start by looking online. MinnesotaHelp.info and Housecalls-Network.com offer a broad range of products and services to help those limited in mobility and their caregivers provide the assistance they need to live independently. Find resources through the United Way by calling 211 or browsing their online resource called "The Beehive" at www.thebeehive.org href="http://www.thebeehive.org/">www.thebeehive.org.

To some, "aging in place" means living in senior housing, utilizing some of their services and finding local care providers to supplement care needs. CarelinkUSA (www.carelinkusa.com href="http://www.carelinkusa.com/">www.carelinkusa.com) is a tool for health care professionals and consumers seeking information and referrals to facilities such as nursing homes and assisted living environments in and around Minnesota. With this valuable tool set, you can search for providers based on location and/or special services provided. CarelinkUSA is a community service provided by Care Providers of Minnesota, a nonprofit trade association for providers of long-term health care.

Community-based senior living has opened up opportunities for nonprofits to bridge the gap between caregivers and health care providers. Eldercare Partners unites five of the most respected nonprofit organizations in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. They offer caregivers coaching and counseling; geriatric assessments; Web site lists of Twin City metro area caregiver support groups, caregiver education and training seminars. One of their member organizations, DARTS, created CaregiverMN.org where you'll learn about the multiple resources for family caregivers, including one-to-one support and workplace resources for Twin Cities area caregivers and some culturally specific information for Spanish-speaking and Hmong family caregivers. DARTS provides caregiver support groups, education sessions, volunteer respite care, information and assistance, and care management to more than 1,000 seniors and their families annually.

Another resource for aging in place is a concept called "Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities." NORC is a federal demonstration project, funded by the Administration on Aging, dedicated to testing innovative strategies for empowering seniors as they age in their communities. The Mission of NORC is to enable older adults to stay in their homes and community for as long as they can with the support they need to be healthy, safe, engaged citizens. The vision of NORC is to create an environment that nurtures healthy aging for its residents and inspires residents of all ages to work toward this goal. See www.norcs.com/page.aspx?id=119552 href="http://www.norcs.com/page.aspx?id=119552">www.norcs.com/page.aspx?id=119552 for more information on this concept.

AARP recently did a study and found that 85 percent of seniors desire to stay living in their homes for the rest of their lives. Today, "home" can mean many things. But for those who need in-home care to stay living as independently as possible, there are a variety of companies who specialize in offering bonded, insured, screened and trained non-medical caregivers. These companies provide caregivers who can help with things like companionship, transportation for errands or to doctor appointments, light housecleaning and meal preparation, etc. Some of these services also offer personal care like dressing, bathing and grooming.

How do you know when an in-home, non-medical caregiver is the solution? When you'd like help to do the things you used to do, or really loved to do, but you just can't do them by yourself without a little help. Or perhaps, if you have recently had some medical issues that make it harder for you to live independently. There is a wide spectrum of reasons to utilize home care, but sometimes it is just as simple as when a little help here or there could make your life feel a whole lot easier.

Be sure you work with a company that is licensed by the state, and offers screened, bonded and insured caregivers. You can find companies like this by looking on MinnesotaHelp.org, or by calling your local community resources office or senior center for a referral.

Help is near and easy to access. Stay in touch with your local and national organizations to learn about their resources both online and in person.
Eden Prairie Professionals in Aging is a professional networking organization made up of representatives of diverse organizations, all committed to the welfare of seniors in our community. For more information on EPPIA, please visit our Web site at www.edenprairieaging.org/ href="http://www.edenprairieaging.org/">www.edenprairieaging.org/.

Submitted by EPPIA Members Lisa Schmidtke, Able Deluxe, 952-303-4207; Joyce M. Konczyk, Geriatric Care Manager, 612-227-7414; Nancy Vest, Home Instead Senior Care, Community Services Representative, 952-929-5695