Planning for aging
Meet Laura and Rick. You know them. Laura volunteers at that thrift store you love, Rick is an amateur rock hound. Laura was in the transportation industry for 40 years. Rick was a school teacher. They sent their kids to college, saved carefully, paid off their house and retired when they were in good health, physically and financially. And even though they're slowing down a little now in their 70s, they enjoy playing with their grandkids, working in the garden, taking long crosscountry trips in their RV and hiking in Redwood National Park. They have a network of family and friends that they see on a regular basis.
This is what they wanted: time, freedom, togetherness, the opportunity to enjoy the life they've built in Humboldt County.
Laura and Rick's wellmade plans can be upset in an instant. Say, for example, Rick has a minor stroke or he's rear-ended by a careless driver and hurts his back. With physical therapy and proper medical care he'll get better, but suddenly the house they've lived in for 30 years, the one with the flight of stairs leading up to the front door, no longer works for them. Laura is now his caregiver, which makes it harder for her to spend time with friends and do the things she loves. They can't drive long distances anymore. Their world shrinks. So, they start looking at their options. Sell the house? Maybe. The market is up and they'll get a great price for it, but there's also not much housing stock locally that meets their needs.
Move out of state, where there's cheaper housing and better medical care? OK, but their friends and family, their whole world, is here. Move to a senior living facility? Rick has a vision of places like that being restrictive and institutional. Laura agrees, but she also knows that if they don't make a choice soon they might be forced into an option they really don't want. Their quality of life is deteriorating fast, and she can only help Rick up the stairs for so long.
If this story sounds familiar, it's probably because you know someone like Laura and Rick. Approximately 20% of Humboldt County's population is over the age of 65. Most people are savvy planners when it comes to their retirement savings and goals for the future but fail to think about what their options might be when they can no longer safely live in their own homes.
In 2019, a team of Life Plan Humboldt volunteers interviewed 14 older adults in Humboldt County to learn about their plans for aging. The majority of their interviewees had not planned around the potential for future frailty, and almost all assumed that they could “age in place” in their current homes, hiring help if they needed to do so. They did not have an accurate idea of what resources would or would not be available to execute this plan. Research has shown that most people underestimate the expense of hiring professional caregivers, and that relying on family members for caregiving can put an enormous strain on the emotional and financial health of all involved. Humboldt is a great place to live, but there are challenges to “aging in place,” including transportation issues, homes that aren't designed for aging, and access to support services, including health care.
Once a resident of a rural area can no longer drive, they may experience social isolation, putting them at higher risk for depression and dementia. Isolation is also associated with poorer health outcomes; health care may be difficult to access, so people may wait longer to seek medical attention or forgo preventive services like vaccines if they live alone.
Only 3% of homes in the United States are designed for people with physical challenges. Features such as unsafe stairs and showers can make falls more likely. Fifty percent of women over 80 who break their hip never make it back home. A fall can result in permanent placement in a skilled nursing facility.
In 2020, a group that includes health care professionals, community planners and non-profit executives founded Life Plan Humboldt, a nonprofit dedicated to the creation of a life plan community in Humboldt County. Life plan communities have been very successful models in other areas. They allow people to age in place in a home that works for their needs while also being close to services and part of a larger community.
Life plan communities, put simply, are small villages built around the needs of older adults, featuring homes designed for accessibility and agefriendly support, often with easy access to services such as transportation, nutrition and supportive care. Utilities, maintenance and upkeep of the residences are included as part of the residents' monthly fees. These communities usually include green spaces, well-lit sidewalks and streets and other safety features as well as recreational and lifelong learning opportunities, and extra services such as tech support. Most offer options for future care should residents need more help, including skilled nursing, memory care and assisted living.
Life plan communities create an opportunity to “age in place,” while simultaneously “aging in community.” They allow seniors an option between staying in homes that no longer meet their needs and moving to institutionalized settings such as assisted living or skilled nursing facilities. They also support caregivers, who know that there will be assistance nearby if they need respite and that — if their loved one has to transition to a unit that requires more care — they won't be far away. The homes offer privacy and autonomy while taking the burden of maintenance off of residents and their families, who can visit and have quality interactions with their parents or grandparents, rather than responding to crises.
Life Plan Humboldt is taking steps to ensure senior self-determination in Humboldt County. Unlike other similar projects that were created by religious communities or corporations, Life Plan Humboldt is entirely grassroots, driven and informed by the needs of Humboldt County residents. The plan is to build 144 independent living residences with the option for in-home assisted living care and 12 to 24 memory care suites with a “home-like setting.” With the support of the wider community, the group hopes to break ground in the next three or four years. More information about Life Plan Humboldt, including a survey, is available at www.lifeplanhumboldt.org.
In the meantime, what should Laura and Rick do? Everyone, regardless of their age and physical ability, should look into what their options are. What we've discovered is that most people don't have a plan. Do the research. Crunch the numbers. See what's really out there and decide what you want to do, sooner rather than later. Make a plan.