AGING

Aging Without the Assistance of Children

Basic requirements for a vital life

• Food

• Shelter

• Water

• Personal hygiene

• Social interactions

• Medical care

• Freedom from physical threats

• Something to think about or do

• A sense of control over one’s destiny

Aging can affect one’s ability to access these basic requirements by impairing one’s

• Mobility

• within the home to perform personal hygiene, cook, access food and water, maintain the home

• from inside to outside the home

• within the community to socialize, buy food, obtain medical care

• Cognition

• Troubleshooting obstacles to meeting the basic requirements

• Creation of physical threats (setting house on fire)

• Inability to maintain social connections

• Adult children are frequently called upon to compensate for the impairments created by aging.

• Comprehensive planning may allow the basic requirements to be fulfilled without relying upon children. A few ideas

• Food

• Meals on wheels

• Home delivery and catering

• Grocery delivery services

• Housing

Cohousing

Planned retirement communities

Walkable villages and cities

Homes designed for accessibility

Reputable home repair services on speed dial

Social interactions

‘Third places’ as described by Oldenburg

Church

Transportation to events

Financial resources to pay for essential services

Perhaps the most important component of a plan for vital aging is a redundant network of trustworthy ‘troubleshooters’ to help solve problems as they arise. Troubleshooters may be friends, family, or professionals, but they should share one’s values and goals, and their roles should be as clearly identified as possible.