Age in Place: Advantages and Challenges

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Age In Place: Advantages and Challenges Introduction As people age, they will experience several changes: reduced vision, decreased mobility, reduced mental processing capabilities, increased risk of falls due to balance, and increased risk of illness (Hager, n.d.). People’s quality of lives and independence will be impacted by these changes. Therefore, research has focused on how to age without losing independence and quality of lives has been asked by a lot of people. Aging in place is defined as “the ability to live in one’s own home and community safely, independently, and comfortably, regardless of age, income, or ability level” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, n.d.). According to the definition, aging in place does not only describe that a person can live in a residence of his/her choice, but also the person are able to have services or support they might need as their needs change over time as well as to maintain their quality of life. Aging in place has become popular in the US. A national survey by AARP (2000) reported that 82 percent of elderly Americans would like to spend their rest of lives in their homes even if they need help caring for themselves. There are several advantages for people aging in place, but there are certain challenges people face. The purpose of this paper is to describe pros and cons of the aging in place at three levels: individual level, institutional level, and society level. Aging in place at Individual Level Advantages Aging in place enable older adults to seek informal care easily. According to Wacker and Roberto (2013), older adults exhibit a hierarchical preference for assistance form spouses and children first, and then friends and neighbors, and the last the formal network. The informal network consists of family members or friends, while the
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