They’re also called “mother-in-law apartments” but they’ve come a long way.

This beautiful cabin is produced by Emory Bakdwin, ZAI principle architect and 2009 Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS) of the year.  This new pre-fabricated ADU (Assisted Dwelling Unit), called a FabCab, is worth checking out.

The FabCabs are available in 3 sizes: [...]]]> Why not?

They’re also called “mother-in-law apartments” but they’ve come a long way.

This beautiful cabin is produced by Emory Bakdwin, ZAI principle architect and 2009 Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS) of the year.  This new pre-fabricated ADU (Assisted Dwelling Unit), called a FabCab, is worth checking out.

The FabCabs are available in 3 sizes: small (449 SF), medium (538 SF) and large (800 SF).

Customers choose the finish colors and style.

The construction process takes about 3 months.

Check out the website for more information: http://fabcab.com/home.html.

Instead of putting seniors in nursing homes because they need care, the care is being brought to them, at home.

They don’t need doctors or nurses, but they do need assistance with meal preparation, medication, cleaning, and  so on.

And Medicare is paying [...]]]> The “Big Idea” is finally making its way through Medicare in Florida.

Instead of putting seniors in nursing homes because they need care, the care is being brought to them, at home.

They don’t need doctors or nurses, but they do need assistance with meal preparation, medication, cleaning, and  so on.

And Medicare is paying for it.

And saving $$$.

It costs $48,000 per year to maintain a person in a nursing home.  It costs only $18,000 per year to assist them with living at home, for a savings of $30,000 per person, per year.

Watch more about the Big Idea — some would say Common Sense Idea — in the video below.

As a result, millions are and will be grappling with the question: how will we respond when a loved one grows too fragile to live alone?

In WHEN [...]]]> Thirty-four million Americans provide care for a frail, aging family member. This number is likely to increase dramatically as the nations seventy-seven million Baby Boomers age.

As a result, millions are and will be grappling with the question: how will we respond when a loved one grows too fragile to live alone?

In WHEN THE TIME COMES, veteran journalist Paula Span shares the stories of several families confronting this painful question as they struggle to choose from a host of options, from multigenerational living or home care to assisted living, nursing facilities, or hospice.

Rich with moving portraits, practical information, and the comfort that comes with finding the best solution, the book is essential reading that can help families navigate the tough times so they can focus on the joyful ones.

Paula Span is a contributing writer for the Washington Post Magazine and teaches journalism at Columbia University. A staff writer for the Washington Post for many years, Span has written for numerous publications, including the and many others.

UTA professor Fillia Makedon displays some of the equipment as Kevin Xu wears an Motion Capture suit that digitally captures human motion as they [...]]]> Someday soon, older adults may not need to move into nursing homes because they’ll have a household of technological wonders to keep an eye on them when they become frail.

Like smart pets that never require feeding, robots will scoot from room to room to wake the homeowners in the morning, remind them to eat and send for help if someone falls.

Read the entire article “Robots and sensors to help elderly stay independent”.

The alternative is an assisted living facility or nursing home. An assisted living [...]]]> Seniors like to remain in their own home for many reasons: the familiarity of neighborhood and belongings, the ability to keep their pets, socializing with neighbors, gardening, local markets, and more. The big intangible reason: the ability to keep one’s own independence.

The alternative is an assisted living facility or nursing home. An assisted living facility provides “hands-on” personal care as well as medical care for those who are not able to live by themselves, but do not require constant care provided by a nursing home. Nursing homes provide skilled nursing care 24 hours a day.

However, there are hard financial reasons to stay independent as long as possible. Typically, seniors already own their home, which is an investment as well as a residence. The long-term trend of real estate has been up, so the net worth of the elderly who live in their own homes continues to rise.

In contrast, a private one-bedroom in an assisted living facility cost a US average of $2,825 per month, according to Genworth Financial’s 2009 annual survey. The cost has been increasing at the rate of 4.7% per year over the last five years, double the rate of inflation.

Similarly, the cost of a private one-bedroom in a nursing home is $6,099 per month. Again, the cost has been rising at the rate of 4.3% per year, double the rate of inflation.

Often the main reason for having to move is the fear of falling and injury. More falls happen in the bathroom and stairs than anywhere else in the home. This is where a walk in tub can help. With a low step threshold and a seat, the risk of falling is dramatically reduced. Some are wheelchair accessible, meaning the person can slide off the wheelchair onto the seat of the tub without assistance.

Walk in tubs, fully installed with accessories, range from $9,000 to $16,000. This compares favorably to the cost of $34,000 for just one year in an assisted living facility.

Walk in tubs can save seniors money and allow them to keep their independence by safely staying at home.

Wayne Gerber writes about issues affecting the elderly and disabled. The makers of marine-quality walk in tubs and wheelchair-accessible bathtubs has a large number of resources for seniors and the disabledto help them stay safe and in their homes.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Wayne_Gerber
http://EzineArticles.com/?Walk-In-Tubs-Can-Help-Seniors-Stay-in-Their-Own-Home&id=2546961

John Salmen is not facing mobility issues yet, but he and his wife, Ann Scher, [...]]]> Steven Mintz, a Department of Energy economist, had multiple sclerosis diagnosed more than 30 years ago, so he and his wife, Suzanne, have had plenty of time to think about adapting their Kensington home in preparation for the disease’s progression.

John Salmen is not facing mobility issues yet, but he and his wife, Ann Scher, have converted their Takoma Park bungalow to “a house for the next 50 years.”

What the couples have in common is a desire to stay in their own homes as long as possible, instead of moving to housing designed for seniors. It’s an option called aging in place. Increasingly, it appears that the turmoil in the housing market may also tie others to homes they are unable to sell.

“One of the unwritten tragedies of the current housing price collapse is that for a host of reasons [e.g., money, job security, depreciated properties], a higher share of older Americans will be ‘forced’ to age in place, who might otherwise have considered alternative housing arrangements,” said Stephen Golant, a gerontologist and geographer who teaches at the University of Florida.

As we age, the day-to-day challenges of getting around will most likely increase, whether for simple things such as turning a doorknob or more complex tasks such as taking a shower or navigating a stairway. Often, people wait until a stroke, heart attack, hip replacement or other crisis before thinking about housing adjustments. Such hasty decisions can end up being unattractive and costly.

Awareness of these issues is rising, said Peter Bell, executive director of the National Aging in Place Council. “Boomers may be more cognizant of the need to plan ahead because they have had to deal with their parents in a reaction mode.”

Read the article “A Home You Can Grow Old With” at the Washington Post.