Growing old at home
By Shari Roan
Los Angeles Times
Article Launched: 03/06/2008
The broken rib could have been a disaster for Claire Soroko. She had been saying goodbye to friends Christmas Day when she stumbled from an outdoor step and banged into an iron handrail, breaking a bone in her chest. Afterward, she couldn't clean, drive or even dress herself.
"I really don't have anyone," says Soroko, a Los Angeles resident in her 70s. "My daughter and son-in-law are very busy. I couldn't ask them to come and stay with me."
Such accidents often can mean the end of living independently. Twenty percent of falls among elderly people require medical attention, and serious injuries, such as hip fractures, often require nursing-home care.
But today's older Americans are increasingly adamant in their desire to avoid nursing homes or assisted living. And they have a movement to back them up. Called "aging in place," it has a beautifully simple premise: Keep seniors safe, well-cared for "" and in their homes.
In fact, 90 percent of adults 60 and older say they want to stay in their home or community rather than uproot themselves late in life, a 2006 AARP study found.
In the past, there were few resources to help people remain at home amid the problems and frailties of old age. But changing demographics, economics and attitudes are making "aging-in-place" ever more possible.
(abridged) SOURCE: contrcostatimes
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An interesting article that also give a list of resources for aging.
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