How do you live your best life as needs and abilities change? Here’s a guide to finding support.
As needs and abilities change, many older adults wonder how to achieve the best living situation. Most of us prefer to age well at home. When is it worth looking for help? And what supports are available to older adults?
Understanding Daily Activities
Aging services professionals use a term called Activities of Daily Living (ADLs). Your ability to manage these activities on your own can indicate what (if any) supports may be valuable to you. Basic ADLs describe daily tasks involved in taking care of yourself:
- Bathing or showering, which includes being able to soap, rinse, and dry your body
- Personal hygiene and grooming, such as brushing your teeth, washing your hair, and using a comb or brush
- Getting dressed, which involves being able to put on clothes and managing any zippers, buttons, or fasteners
- Using the toilet, which includes being able to get to the toilet and get into the proper position, as well as using toilet paper
- Eating, which means being able to feed yourself, e.g., using utensils and being able to chew and swallow
- Transferring and moving around, such as the ability to get in and out of bed or a chair and the ability to move around your home
Often, there are tools and tricks that can help keep you independent in these activities. In many cases, an occupational therapist or physical therapist can help. “It’s easy to shrug off challenges as normal for your age and nothing to worry about,” says the Cleveland Clinic. “But if you notice it’s harder to do a basic ADL than it used to be, don’t keep it to yourself.” Often, there are simple changes that can help.
There are also some Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs) that we need to live independently, such as:
- Preparing meals
- Managing finances and paying bills
- Shopping, e.g., for groceries
- Housekeeping, such as cleaning and laundry
- Managing medications
- Transportation, which means being able to get to places by driving, arrange for rides, or use public transportation
- Communicating by phone or email, such as making appointments
Thinking about these various activities can help you pinpoint where support may be needed. What can change your ability to do these essential activities? There are many answers: a surgery, a health event, or a chronic condition that develops gradually. Sometimes, losing a spouse creates a new dynamic if certain functions have been shared. Taking care of yourself requires both physical and cognitive wellness. Challenges with IADLs often appear before difficulties with basic ADLs.
Finding the Right Support
Examining ADLs and IADLs can help you think about the types of supports that would make life easier and safer. Here are some examples:
- An informal caregiver might be a friend or family member who checks in on your well-being and/or helps with certain tasks, such as driving you to a medical appointment or washing dishes.
- CoAction’s Senior Companion program pairs older adults with friendly volunteers who provide companionship and a helping hand. In addition to social visits, Senior Companions can assist with light tasks like meal prep, exercise, respite care, and rides to appointments.
- A home health agency can provide a number of personal care and skilled services, including help with ADLs, skilled nursing care, and in-home therapies. These services can be a short-term godsend when you come home from the hospital, or they can be an ongoing support when there is a chronic health condition. Most of these services charge by the hour, notes the National Institute on Aging. They can require financial resources, because Medicare provides only very limited coverage for home health services.
- Home-delivered meals: The CoAction Senior Nutrition program supports adults 60 and older with nutritious meals, education, and counseling—whether through home delivery or community dining. You can request info about meal sites and home-delivered meals on the CoAction website.
- Housekeeping: Many older adults use a housekeeping service to help with occasional or routine cleaning. Costs and options vary. To find a trustworthy and reliable service, you can check with friends and look at online reviews. Always verify that employees have completed a background check.
- Grocery shopping: The rise of home-delivered grocery services makes at-home shopping easier today. Check your favorite grocer for their phone app, or try an app that covers many stores, like Instacart.
- Transportation services: Local organizations such as Lake County Community Services and Porter County Aging & Community Services offer low-cost, door-to-door rides for qualifying adults.
Often, putting together the mix of support services that’s right for you can make living at home easier, safer, and more enjoyable.
A Transition to Assisted Living
An adult who needs more help with ADLs and IADLs than these supports can provide may benefit from a transition to assisted living. This allows a person to continue living independently, but with more support. “Some signs it may be time to move to assisted living include worsening medical conditions, difficulty managing money, and trouble keeping up with personal hygiene,” explains U.S .News & World Report. Learn more about assisted living and other long-term care options in the blog, Navigating Healthcare. Not sure what you need or what assistance may be available? Reach out to CoAction for options counseling.
CoAction Can Help
CoAction’s Home and Community-Based Services team supports independent living with personalized care plans tailored to individual needs. From meal delivery and in-home care to emergency response systems, our Care Managers work closely with each person to coordinate the right mix of services. Learn more about in-home services and make a services request on the CoAction website.
When it’s hard to do the things you need to do to live safely and independently, take a careful look at the many forms of support that can help you thrive.