Jan
12
The Changing Face of Retirement: From Sun City to Aging in Place
January 12, 2010 | Leave a Comment
Posted by: Kathleen Daniel
With the debut of the first ‘modern’ retirement facility in Sun City, Arizona in 1960, replete with golf courses, recreation centers and activities clubs, it’s been 50 years that Americans’ ideas have shifted about retirement. Sun City recast the idea of retirement as a non-working life of limited opportunity to one of possibility and productivity. Now a new Sun City Festival has opened, but with a difference: most people living there are either employed, active or doing some kind of community service. And they have internet cafes, continuing education classes, and lots of singles. But with more choices now, only about 6% of homeowners over 65 live in communities like these. Instead, the tide is turning to “aging in place,” to living in the house you’ve lived in for the last 20 or 30 years and to make it work there. Some 70% of seniors spend the rest of their lives in the place where they celebrated their 65th birthday.
Indeed there are many initiatives and resources for communities and individuals for aging in place, including:
Aging in Place “The “E-cyclopedia” of housing options and information for
retirement, finance, insurance and care.” An practical resource to start you thinking about what you need to know and may need to age in place.
National Aging in Place Council. A support network of collaborative professional service providers that includes home health care companies, geriatric care managers, food and product delivery services, architects, interior designers, remodeling contractors, home maintenance professionals, landscaping contractors, transportation providers, financial planners, insurance companies, elder specialists and more.
Age in Place. Assitive technology assistance on the kinds of home and lifestyle modifications you’ll need to think about – from remodeling to technology and gadgets to how to finance it. Refers to things that can assist people with a variety of things, including communication, mobility, learning, recreation, overcoming or dealing with physical or mental challenges, and help dealing with daily life activities to enhance quality of life.
Aging in Place Initiative Aging in Place is an initiative of Partners for Livable Communities (Partners) and the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging to improve the livability of communities by promoting quality of life, economic development, and social equity by using community and economic development resources, and building public/private coalitions.
Partners for Livable Communities. Download their Technical Assistance Guide for Aging in Place to see a state- by-state breakdown of some of the local community initiatives they’ve helped support.
Certified Aging in Place Specialists. This program teaches the technical, business management, and customer service skills in the residential remodeling industry for home modifications for the aging-in-place. Search the directory to find professionals who hold CAPS certifications.
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