Seniors have walked many miles. Tasted many foods, heard many stories, spoke many words, saw many happenings and hugged many friends.
Which on that list remains at the top? Has the thief of time stolen some, or heightened or decreased the value of others?
Why ask these questions?
Because a major decision has or will have to be made, and these questions play a part. The question is a simple one: should you move to a senior living or long-term care facility, or continue to live at home?
I, your author, have cheated. I left off my significant criterion, a major factor influencing the decision — social capital.
Throughout one’s life, we have select individuals and associations that give us cognitive and emotional benefits from our relationships with them. Those relationships provide us with social capital, or positive outcomes such as new ideas, information and assistance.
Let me apply that concept to the dual usage of the phrase, “aging in place,” i.e., either in one’s long-time home or in a care community’s residence.
Sociologists and other scholars have discussed the impediments that accompany aging. That is not my attempt here, but rather explore how social capital can impact the choice of where we age in place.
Aging in Place — At Home
Between 85 – 87% of U.S. seniors these days wish to remain in their homes as they age. An immediate value of aging in place at home is the ability to continue to take advantage of social capital. Friendship networks may soften a little depending on one’s health. But a reliable network of friends is still there, along with family.
When healthcare at home is primarily given by the spouse or children, the care cost is less. Of course, there are many other positives, but also negatives when it comes to social capital, including:
- The emotional and physical toll on the family caregiver does not cease
- Social capital may decrease in intensity. So was the case with my wife’s illness, and with other aging elders in her network. She also had fewer visitors and frequent communication.
- Probable absence from entertainment events
Aging in Place — In a Healthcare Facility
Thousands of healthcare communities are available to seniors, with an array of benefits depending on the person’s health needs and lifestyle. There are also social capital-related cons that come with communities and other long-term care facilities, as with aging in place at home.
Positives:
- A safe community of like-minded persons
- Meeting others with similar interests and frequently arranged forms of entertainment and informative events
- Less upkeep, perhaps no required care of physical facilities
- Potential transportation for medical appointments and continued involvement in associations
A smaller age difference allows for a commonality of personal topics offered without embarrassment, with receivers knowing the stories as well as the sender. In short, the daily burdens of life have immeasurably decreased. Certainly, there are potential social negatives of more communal living, such as:
- Cliques or insular groups
- Costs such as taxes on apartments, the cost of care, and others increase yearly.
- In-house medical care case is often minimal, depending on the type of community.
- Caregivers, even for independent living, are common.
- Smaller living areas
My remarks primarily move on the wheels experience rather than extensive search. So it is encouraging to read the increase of articles, internationally and in the U.S., about research on senior citizens, social capital, and aging in place. This new information can only help seniors as they choose where to continue their walk with friendship.
Herb Hildebrandt Ph.D, Hl.D., is a founder and current resident of Glacier Hills, Ann Arbor, MI.
The opinions expressed in McKnight’s Long-Term Care News guest submissions are the author’s and are not necessarily those of McKnight’s Long-Term Care News or its editors.
