Aging in home feasible with help of agencies

After Northwest Austin resident Stan Brooks fell and broke his femur in 2012, he said local nonprofit Capital City Village provided him with the ability to continue living in his home and continue having an intellectually stimulating life.

Brooks, an Austinite since 1926, is a member of CCV, which provides resources and services for seniors to help them live in their homes as long as possible, a concept known as aging in place.

Organizations such as CCV and AGE of Central Texas Adult Day Health Center are encouraging seniors to maintain an autonomous lifestyle because it can prevent loneliness, depression and memory loss, said Annette Juba, AGE's deputy director of programs.

"The majority of people say that they are happier if they can age in their own home rather than having to go somewhere else," CCV Executive Director Bonnie Gilson said. "We're actually getting more and more members now who are joining because they want to know that someone will be able to drive them to the doctor or to our programs or to the grocery store or wherever they need to go."

Austin has the fastest-growing population in the U.S of people ages 55–64 and the second fastest-growing population of people age 65 and older, according to analysis by The Brookings Institution. The U.S. saw a 49 percent growth in its population of people ages 55–64 between 2000 and 2010, according to the analysis.

Aging in place

The concept of aging in place began in 2001 in Massachusetts because many seniors wanted to continue living in their homes instead of moving into a senior living facility, Gilson said. CCV is the first in Texas and is known as a virtual community because it has no brick-and-mortar facility. CCV hosted an open house March 18 in Northwest Austin to notify seniors of its available services.

The nonprofit provides members with transportation to doctor appointments and errands and organizes a variety of social events, including interest groups, day trips to museums and theaters, exercise classes and game nights. Membership also includes services such as real estate consulting, geriatric care, in-home medical care, lawn care, legal consulting and catering through local providers that partner with CCV.

Brooks said he participates in at least three social events per week and has made friends through CCV.

"It's nice because you meet people, and you're stimulated by new people and gain friendships," he said. "We have some [retired] doctors, lawyers, about three or four university professors, engineers, so you learn a lot. [It] keeps your mind more active than if you were not being associated all of these various groups [of people], which is a bonus."

Gilson said that because Austin's transportation system is not yet as accessible as it could be for seniors, CCV has seen an increase in membership. In the Austin metropolitan area, CCV has 93 members.

"Our public transportation is not yet to a point where most seniors can just walk less than a block and get on a bus or a train that goes exactly where they need to go without making several transfers in the process," she said. "I think that it's an issue that continues to be a need for the elderly."

Cyndi Cummings, broker associate for Keller Williams Realty, recently applied to become a partner with CCV and said housing is a challenge for many seniors because their homes may no longer be designed to fit their needs.

"Sometimes I'll have people call and say, 'I'm not able to get up the stairs anymore, and that is where my master bedroom is. I need to move,'" Cummings said. "A lot of homes just aren't built for people to age in properly."

Cummings is also the founder of Austin Senior Resource Alliance, which informs seniors about selling and modifying homes, as well as options for durable medical equipment, hospice care, senior communities and more. She said the organization helps people stay in their homes or move if aging at home will not be safe for them.

"We help them move to a place where they feel they are going to have a good future there, that life isn't over and that they will continue to [or learn to] paint or sing, which is what some of the [senior] communities provide for them," she said.

Dangers of loneliness

Juba said that although it can be beneficial for seniors to live in their own homes, interaction with other people is necessary. AGE is another nonprofit that organizes resources and programming for seniors.

"One of the things that is most harmful to older adults, particularly older adults who want to age in place, is getting lonely when they are in their own home," she said. "It's great to be in a place that is really familiar, but you also need that stimulation that comes with being around other people, interacting with your peers, interacting with people every day. I think that is maybe one of the dangers of aging in place or sort of a hidden complication that comes with it."

To help offset loneliness for seniors, AGE offers adult day health care in Round Rock and Austin that have program and nurse staff. Juba said seeing the same people daily allows nurses to detect health changes or potential problems early.

"We can help keep people's health stable, or we can notice when something is changing before it gets to be a crisis and help get it taken care of while it's still pretty manageable," Juba said.

AGE's activities at the adult day center include art, music and exercise classes.

"An adult day center is a great place where you can be with people on a really regular basis but still be in your familiar bedroom at night and sitting at your familiar table for dinner in the evening," Juba said. "It's a great way to bridge those two ideas of being around people and being around your own home."

In addition to loneliness prevention, AGE offers programs for people who have recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease or who have mild cognitive impairment. Programs include song writing, yoga, art and creative writing.

"That is where they can talk about how to cope with this diagnosis, how their life has changed, how to still make the most of what they can do and how to deal with the frustration of what they can't do," she said. "It's an amazing thing."