Resources & Editorials

A Plan to Age in Place
By Nicole A. Morgan, OTR
Home Modification Specialist
Life Time Designs

What does it mean to age in place?  Aging in place means that you are able to secure the necessary support services and modify your home in order to live in your current residence for as long as you are physically and reasonably capable.  Aging in place is a choice that empowers an individual over their independence and quality of life.  The decision to age in place is not just for the “older” population, but one that everybody should consider in their adult life no matter what stage of life they are in.  As you prepare to age in your current home, ask yourself these three questions: Is my home set up to be safe for the coming years and what may lie ahead of me physically? What modifications do I need in order to make my home safe to age in place? What community resources are available to help me with aging in place?  Other areas we must address when deciding to age in place are healthcare, family support, and financial security, although our foundation is the place where we live day to day.  According to CDC (Centers for Disease Control) statistics, one in three people over the age of 65 fall each year.  Falls are the leading cause of injury deaths and the most common cause of injuries and admissions to the hospital.  The majority of these falls, occur in the home and can be prevented with home safety modifications. Read the rest of this entry »

Nicole A. Morgan, OTR, CAPS, Home Modification Specialist

Admission and discharge from any hospital can be stressful, intimidating and sometimes life altering. Many decisions must be made when you or your loved one is ready to come home. Case managers are put in place in the healthcare system to assist families and their loved ones with discharge planning and can answer any questions that the family has about the discharge process while the patient is still in the hospital. Discharge planning is a big part of hospital, inpatient rehabilitation centers, skilled nursing and long term care facilities. So what exactly is discharge planning? Medicare defines discharge planning as a process used to decide what a patient needs for a smooth transition from one level of care to another.” The way this transition is handled is critical to the health and well being of the patient and can affect how knowledgeable the family is during the transition as well. This process of learning how to transition home should begin upon admittance to the hospital and should involve the patient, family and healthcare providers. It can be difficult on the family or patient to think of all the questions they need to ask in preparation for the transition home. Here are some considerations, tips and questions to keep in mind when planning to discharge home from hospital, skilled nursing, long term care, or rehabilitation facility. Read the rest of this entry »