Revaluating aging in place: from traditional definitions to the continuum of care

Abstract

Purpose Traditional definitions of aging in place often define aging in place specifically as the ability to remain in one’s own home or community setting in later life. The purpose of this paper is to reframe aging in place and show how narrowly defined aging in place models can be potentially negative constructs that limit options for older adults. The authors propose a paradigm shift, or a re-framing of, the popularized idea of aging in place. The authors challenge mainstream and literature-based beliefs that are deeply rooted to the idea that aging in place ideally happens in the home in which a person has lived for many years. Design/methodology/approach The paper reviews common concepts and constructs associated with aging in place as well as gaps or exclusions, and US-based aging in place policy initiatives favoring the aging in place model. Findings An expanded definition of aging in place embraces heterogeneity in residence types and living options. A realistic assessment of person-environment fit, matching an older person’s capabilities to his or her environmental demands, allows for the development of additional aging in place options for those living across the continuum of care. Social implications Aging in place should be moved from the personal “success” or “failure” of an older individual to include the role of society and societal views and policies in facilitating or hindering aging in place options. The authors demonstrate that these options, in facilities within the continuum of care, can be thought of as appealing for older persons of all levels of physical and cognitive functioning. Originality/value Research about aging in place tends to stress the value of one place (one’s home) over other living settings. This limits the ability of people to age in place and curtails discussion of all the items necessary to maintain place.

eHealth in integrated care programs for people with multimorbidity in Europe: Insights from the ICARE4EU project

“…Other eHealth applications with particular relevance for providing person centered integrated care to people with multimorbidity, such as advanced electronic decision support systems for physicians, self-management support of patients, and electronic systems for telemonitoring care processes are not yet widely implemented and reveal great potential for improvement. The latter two in particular hinder the possibility of ageing-in-place for older patients with long-term conditions [45], that is in their home or in other living settings/facilities, within the continuum of care [46]. This high use of EHRs, and the limited adoption of more advanced eHealth solutions are also confirmed by available literature, although more in general than as specific applications for people with multimorbidity.…”

Low vision rehabilitation over the course of a year: The experiences and feelings of elderly people with visual impairments

“…Policy objectives and the preferences of elderly people to "age in place" coincide in that they refer to people being able to stay at home and in a familiar neighborhood by adapting to changing needs and conditions that occur as people age. [20] This study enriches the scarce field of disability research by introducing a nursing science perspective, and supplements the general image of VI among elderly people by bringing out their own voices directly. The study provides a basis for assessing the usefulness of LVR, and the results outline possibilities for future research approaches.…”

Is the place the thing?: The role of place in later life

“…There is less attachment to the idea of one "right" place to age, and new residential decision-making frameworks are developing (Golant, 2015(Golant, , 2019. The evolution and expansion of aging in place and age-friendly concepts across the continuum of care, increasingly diverse older populations, and the changing meaning of place have created a need to reassess and redesign these models of "fit" (Weil 2017;Weil & Smith, 2016). To advance the understanding of place, it is increasingly important to capture key place domains and measure the impact of place in later life across new areas (Weil, 2019).…”