Age-in-place programs bring security to your doorstep

By John Nicolette

Whether it’s deciding what we want for breakfast in the morning or when our next trip to visit family is going to be, life is filled with decisions, and each one makes some kind of impact on our lives – big or small.

When it comes to aging, we all have a choice to make – how do we want to live out retirement? Perhaps you think you’d best thrive in an independent living community, where you can make friends with like-minded individuals and indulge in high-quality dining and a robust calendar of engaging activities. Or, like most retirees, you may prefer to enjoy your retirement in the home you worked so hard to achieve.

AARP’s 2024 Home and Community Preferences survey discovered that seven in 10 adults aged 50+ want to stay in their own homes and live independently for as long as they can. Only 6% would prefer to move in with a family member or friend. Since most older adults want to independently age in place, what steps can they take to make possible?

This doesn’t have to be a journey you embark on alone – the right resources, like an age-in-place program, can provide a plan that you have control over. Age-in-place programs ensure that while you live the life you’ve worked so hard for, your current needs and future health care needs, as well as financial assets, are covered through a comprehensive, membership-based program. An age-in-place program, which is also known as “continuing care without walls,” allows you to live in your home, while also providing the comfort and security of a life plan community – it's the best of both worlds.

Similar to a life plan community, healthy, independent retirees can join with a one-time membership fee and an associated monthly service fee that will ensure future care in their home. With membership, you receive a life-long guarantee of personal care coordination and care for if or when you require it.

Age-in-place programs bring security to your doorstep by making sure that your home is safe for you to continue to live in as you age. For example, Senior Choice at Home, the only age-in-place program based here in Southwest Florida, provides its members with a home inspection upon joining the program. That inspection addresses current and potential safety concerns, like tripping hazards, uneven staircases and inadequate hallway lighting.

Personal care coordinators – included in the program’s membership – also learn members’ medical history, medications and preferred physicians so that in an event that a member cannot advocate for themselves, their coordinator will. They also arrange for services if needed in the future, including homemaker services, home health aides, live-in companions and a transition into assisted living if that is preferred or needed.

Just as you would any other major life decision, it’s imperative that you dedicate time to proactively plan for your aging in place journey – it is a financial commitment and requires proper planning to ensure your assets are in order prior to selecting a program that works best for you. Enrolling in an age-in-place program comes with a set cost. It means you won't have to worry about rising long-term costs or what insurance will cover. You’ll know exactly what you will pay for a lifetime of long-term care right from the start.

In the era of an influx of Baby Boomer retirees, thousands of older adults will soon have a decision to make – will you age in place, or take the leap into a senior living community? Whatever your decision may be, there are resources to guide you through the journey. Aging in place with the security of a membership-based program presents numerous benefits, but at their core, they guarantee retirees exactly what they need in this new chapter – advocacy, financial and emotional security, and freedom.

About the author

John Nicolette is the director of Senior Choice at Home, an age-in-place program serving older adults in Collier, Lee and Charlotte counties. Senior Choice at Home is regulated by the state of Florida as a premier life plan community “without walls.” To learn more, visit SeniorChoiceatHome.com or call 239-788-0694.