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NAIPC News May 25, 2016
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Announcing the National Aging in Place Foundation
Home Mod Squad talks universal design becoming universal
Three Wishes
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Also In This Week's Issue
- The Credit for Caring Act to Help Families Age in Place
- BPC Senior Health and Housing Task Force: Healthy Aging Begins at Home
- "I Brought 1" List
- NAIPC in the News
- Support World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, June 15th
- Upcoming Events
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Announcing the National Aging in Place Foundation |
The National Aging in Place Council is privileged to announce the formation of the National Aging in Place Foundation, a new 501(c)3 not-for-profit, organized to coordinate a national education effort to more clearly define aging in place and to teach consumers how to plan their later life.
“Aging in place has been a vague idea,” says Marty Bell, the Foundation’s Executive Director. “Our goal is to clarify it, to set up a delivery system of in-home services in communities throughout the country, to educate elder adults and their families about the existence and advantages of this delivery system and to encourage them to make a plan for their later years.”
To achieve this, the Foundation is launching a comprehensive plan to train in-home service providers to be aging in place experts, as well as creating a new occupation—the Aging in Place Manager. Over the next twelve months, the plan includes the following components:
--The introduction of a planning document called “Act III: Your Plan for Aging in Place” that helps consumers assess their needs in housing, health and wellness, personal finance, transportation and social engagement.
--Collaboration with the Stony Brook University School of Social Welfare to create an undergraduate curriculum to train Social Work students to be Aging in Place Managers.
--A road show that will be presented in partnership with and at USC in Los Angeles, Stony Brook Univeristy on Long Island, the College of Charleston and in a Midwestern city, to be announced, to introduce service providers in each community to the Act III planning document and teach them to use it most effectively to benefit their clients.
“We hope to build a national force of aging in place experts who not only provide the service in which they are trained (caregiving, home modification, financial planning, etc.) to clients but can also guide them to the other services they will need to enable them to remain in their homes,” says Bell.
The National Aging in Place Council is a 10-year-old organization with over 500 members all across the country. Chapters in communities connect business to business, business to consumers, business to government, the private sector with the not for profit sector. Chapter members must complete background checks, as well as sign and adhere to the organization’s Code of Conduct. |
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Home Mod Squad talks universal design becoming universal |
Through the years the aging in place industry has witnessed any number of home modification trends, from grab bars to ramps and everything in between. Slowly but surely those trends have continued to evolve and join forces, creating a design style that is spreading like wildfire. The evergreen concept of Universal Design is ushering the aging industry, as well as the building industry into the future. With modifications that are useful for all ages, the idea of Universal Design is becoming more and more commonplace, and with a little coaxing it will become what it was always intended to be, universal.
While these modifications are relatively simple in concept and execution the fact still remains that if home builders would push for universal design from the onset a lot of people could age easier in their own homes.
On May 10th NAIPC’s Home Modification Working Group conducted a webinar to discuss the topic of universal design and the “types of work” that can be done to make a home safe and accessible for someone aging in place. The webinar was moderated by NAIPC chapter members Steve Weaver, Greater Sacramento; Alissa Boroff, Minneapolis/St. Paul; and Jack Richardson, Greater Charleston. And approximately 20 NAIPC members from all over the U.S. joined them in a riveting discussion on the latest safety and accessibility features for homes.
The working group began with one of the most important questions in home modification, “Will your current home work?” In other words does your home currently offer livability and visit-ability? Livability is often referred to as universal design and visit-ability refers to accessibility for friends or loved ones with disabilities to be able to visit. By implementing universal design when building, retrofitting, or remodeling a home this question can—and should—be pushed into redundancy. Whether it is new construction or a remodel it is always important to advocate for universal design.
The conversation focused on the basics of home safety and removing the primary obstacles from the home. The most rudimentary of which are, removing clutter, throw rugs, slick floors, and so on. The group then went over some of the simple safety products that can be added to the home; towel-grab bars, good lighting, and nightlights. That being said, something as simple as extra lighting beneath each stair tread in conjunction with a lighter-colored wood edge can aid in distinguishing and maneuvering stairs in the home. However, according to our panelists, this isn’t a common request for Certified Aging in Place Specialists (CAPS), to which they added that if the industry were to make such modifications a standard it would offer a paradigm for others to follow.
The webinar continued with an in-depth look at safety and accessibility tools and tips. The group scrutinized the best options for stair lifts, ramps, platform lifts, walk-in tubs, door openers, and more. But more importantly they advocated the importance of contacting an Occupational Therapist (OT) to discuss a client’s mobility needs, as well as ensuring that the client is well-informed about each product and modification.
To conclude the conversation a, simple yet profound, question was posited to the panel, “At what age should the discussion of home modification be broached with clients?” The response was unanimous, “any age.” Whether it is universal design or home modification—retrofitting or remodeling— all ages will find these features helpful. Safety features should not be limited to the aging either, grab bars, extra lighting, and hand rails are great for small children and the elderly alike. |
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Three Wishes |
In the February issue of Tax Credit Advisor staff writer David Smith, Chairman of Recap Real Estate Advisors, wrote about his Three Wishes for senior affordable housing properties. In his article Smith touches on the all too real struggles surrounding senior housing today; financing, retrofitting, and multifamily accommodations. But Smith also drives home the notion of "community," or in this instance a lack thereof.
In Smith's own words, profoundly and simply stated, loneliness kills.
"Loneliness kills. Elderly loneliness leads to depression, obesity, high blood pressure, and cognitive impairment. Together these lead to declining health and mobility, which result in more falls, more emergency room visits, more hospitalizations, and more early deaths. It boosts early-mortality expectation twice as much as obesity, and two-thirds as much as poverty. If loneliness were cancer, it would be in line for billions in annual grant funding – and unlike cancer, it’s easily curable, today, at low cost."
Read full article |
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The Credit for Caring Act to Help Families Age in Place |
On May 11, 2016 The Credit for Caring Act (H.R. 4708) was introduced by Reps. Linda Sanchez (CA-38) and Tom Reed (NY-23). This bill could provide up to $3,000 in family caregiver tax credits. This is but one of nearly 30 bills currently before Congress regarding caregiving. Others include the AGE Act, RAISE Family Caregivers Act, FAMILY Act, Care Planning Act, and so on.
Caregiving is a huge commitment of time and financial resources for many. In particular, the Senior Citizens League believes that many families struggle with caregiving for disabled adult children, as well as aging parents. When these family caregivers do not get enough support—and they rarely do—they are faced with leaving their jobs, taking on significant debt, moving their loved ones out of the home and into costly facilities, or any combination of the above. With the Credit for Caring Act expenses like groceries, home modifications, transportation, or hiring caregivers would each qualify for credit.
Read full article
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BPC Senior Health and Housing Task Force: Healthy Aging Begins at Home |
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The unprecedented growth of the nation’s senior population, along with their longevity, will present challenges in the near future. So, in an effort to address those challenges the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Senior Health and Housing Task Force has been working for over a year to develop an “actionable policy agenda” that underscores the synergies between health care and housing in developing improved health results, cost savings, and an improved quality of life for our aging population.
On May 23, 2016 the task force released their report, Healthy Aging Begins at Home, while conducting a discussion of recommendations with its co-chairs. The report also includes;
- Bridging the Health-Housing Divide: A National Imperative,
- Aging with Options: Transforming Our Homes and Communities,
- Integrating Health Care and Supportive Services with Housing, and
- The Power of Technology to Support Successful Aging.
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“I Brought 1” List:
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NAIPC in the News |
NAIPC is recommended as "the number one agency for aiding retirees" in an article on TheDollarStretcher.com, written by Annie Doisy, entitled 4 Agencies That Help Retirees. Doisy shines a flattering light on NAIPC and its ability to connect to resources and advice necessary for older adults.
In our previous NAIPC News it was reported that the Greater Atlanta chapter's aggressive advocacy resulted in the Georgia State Legislature passing a bill to expand the certified nursing assistant (CNAs) registry. And while Laura Berrios’ article in myAJC, New law could ease stress of finding in-home nursing care for elderly, does not mention the NAIPC chapter by name it is clear their efforts along with other area agencies were a turning point in the passing of the bill. |
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