Decatur To Discuss “Aging in Place” Tonight
Decatur Metro | October 25, 2010This evening from 7-9pm at the Holiday Inn Conference Center, the city will host a “Community Academy” discussion surrounding one of the most powerful arguments for more walkable, “livable” communities – in my opinion – often referred to as “aging in place”.
From DecaturNext…
According to the Atlanta Regional Commission, Lifelong Communities “are places where individuals can live throughout their lifetime; they provide a full range of options to residents, insuring a high quality of life for all.” That means a place that works for kids, for working folks and for seniors.
During the meeting at the Holiday Inn Conference Center, participants will explore a variety of factors related to Housing, Basic Needs, and Community Life, then rank each according to how well (or how poorly) Decatur fares. Those ranked the lowest will warrant discussion of how they might be improved and what potential ideas and initiatives should be worked into the developing Strategic Plan.
Why is aging – of all things – such a powerful argument? Because it exposes a huge, poorly bandaged hole in the car-based infrastructure model. I think I can summarize it with a single question: How many people, each year, are put into nursing homes because they can no longer drive?
Why is aging – of all things – such a powerful argument?
Because there’s only one alternative, and many people find that alternative less attractive.
I don’t think too many people go from losing their ability to drive safely directly into nursing homes.
However, I agree with the concern about long-term livability. I was talking to an older (than me) woman yesterday afternoon (at the Margaret Atwood lecture.) She and her husband still have a car, but she was telling me with pleasure how she can walk to the library, to the dentist, to the doctor, and to events, from her home at a downtown Decatur condo.
I am interested in the results of this meeting, and I hope there are some seniors of varying circumstances to give their opinions.
In our group the concern was how older people could stay within the community with support. Group homes (assisted living homes), transportation for medical and other needs such as drug store, grocery, library, etc. Just about everyone in my group was stressing the importance of keeping people within their neighborhood as they aged.
People don’t go into nursing homes because they lose their ability to drive, they go there because they lose their ability to function. Often, that’s quite some time (years!) after they give up their cars.
I would argue that in communities where cars are not a given, the problems are the same and maybe even worse.
Why? Because the inability to drive is the 1st alarm that tells those responsible that the senior needs a little or lot of help. Without that, they are able to isolate themselves and hide their reality longer. And that often leads to disaster.
In communities where cars are “required”, the senior (or someone) must face their reality, ask for help and make plans to manage their lives– while they still can.
It’s all great and cool and seemingly compassionate to talk about aging in place but the reality is that the body and mind WILL start to shut down. At that point in their lives, seniors need help and they need to NOT be isolated. That “place” will have to be one where they can get the monitoring and supervision they require (regardless of how much they deny and resist) and often sooner than their family realizes.
How to deliver and pay for those services is the real question.
This line of discussion makes the prospect of turning elderly, or 35 as I like to joke, seem very grim!
My gym located in Dekalb Medical Center has a large group of seniors some I would guess easily in their 80s. I’m there everyday during the week and I see the same faces like clockwork. And honestly, some are in better shape than people I see on the streets in their 40s. Obviously this is just a small group that I see, and I really don’t know how they get there. But I think it’s actually pretty sad that people would need to go to an assisted living facility if the only thing that changed in their circumstances was that they stopped driving.
Anyone go to the meeting?
There was a graph presented from the CDC that showed that, over the past 25 years, there’s been a 35% drop in the number of people 85 and older going into nursing homes.
Part is attributed to greater focus on staying active; part to the fact that people today have more choices in remaining independent or semi-independent as they age.
No longer being able to drive has, for decades, created an unnecessary class of shut-ins. Yes, many will still reach the point of needing specialized care but there’s no point in rushing it if there are other ways to address the challenges of aging.
Re the post’s question:
Still contemplating overwise able folks going into nursing homes… I sure hope it’s not the case! It’d be so wrong. And stupid.
*****
Re last night’s meeting:
Really like the concept of skilled nursing facilities within neighborhoods. It’d provide a homelike setting for a small group of seniors & skilled care to live together, keeping our elders connected to our community. (The Eden Alternative, a nonprofit organization, has envisioned such a project.)
Really like the “Dwell Small, Live Large” philosophy. Surprised to learn that Decatur has a 1500 sq ft minimum requirement for new houses. Overhaul the rules pronto!
Wish the emphasis had been on brainstorming ideas, rather than ranking the factors. Our group offered up some good possibilities. Unfortunately, there just wasn’t time to explore them all.
What? Why is there a 1500 square foot minimum?
I don’t know! I was stuck on “HUH?!?” Please ask! Or somebody please say I heard it wrong because it makes NO sense!
That’s correct. You cannot build a freestanding home less than 1,500 square feet. It’s not tax related. Most likely it’s an artifact from some time in the past 60 years or so where someone made an arbitrary determination that 1,500 was the threshold that would ensure families and “decent folks.”
At the time it probably entered our code, all that was building out in Decatur was the north side. If Decatur’s anything like most places with a similar regulation, they wanted to ensure the suburban family development of the day and 1,500 is a pretty good number to do that.
I’m wondering if the size regulation is to ensure a minimum tax threshold for a property or if it’s to reduce the likelihood of extensive expansion projects later.
If it’s the latter, I hope that the city will note that a chief reason for retrofitting is to make housing more accessible as people age. Homeowners can hugely reduce the cost of and need for home modifications by adding basic accessibility features at the planning level — sufficiently wide doors (32″+), one zero-step entrance (which needn’t be at the front), and a maneuverable first-floor bathroom.
The best source of basic home access information is Concrete Change – http://www.concretechange.org. In fact, the founder (who lives in the Atlanta area) is regarded as the mother of the nation’s Visitability movement.
Just to clarify the nomenclature…
Nursing home = offers constant skilled nursing care; only people who need that level of care (due to mental or physical infirmities) go to a nursing home
Assisted living = provides support for residents who are still able to live independently to some extent; usually offers a range of support levels, which enables it to serve a broad spectrum of residents and also gives residents the opportunity to age in place (once they are there); typically offers meals, laundry and housekeeping, organized activities, group outings, transportation to dr appts and other errands, assistance with daily medication; trained nurses on staff for emergencies but not for ongoing care; many have “memory units” which are secure areas with lower staff/resident ratios, for residents who are physically able but have cognitive impairments that make it impossible for them to live safely in the main area.
Having been directly involved in elder care for family members since my adolescence (and therefore experienced the cultural and the practical landscapes for aging and its associated infirmities during various decades), I’m really glad this issue has surfaced in the City’s strategic planning discussions. Growing old is really hard, and to tell you the absolute truth, some people reach a point where it most definitely does not beat the alternative. But it is what it is, and all we can do is take care of our health when we’re younger and try to improve both our culture and our practical infrastructure before it’s our turn!