This doctor says homes should accommodate aging in place
Treating older patients with chronic health conditions can already be a challenge for medical professionals, but some of these challenges can be exacerbated if a patient suffers a preventable trauma, including a fall. That’s why it’s so important to ensure that a living space is appropriately adapted to aging.
This is what James Taylor, a physician and founder of Stay safea company that assesses homes for fall risks. Sharing his perspectives in one Home care magazine In the column, Taylor described how debilitating falls can be in the treatment process of older clients.
“A single fall can wipe out months of progress, leading to long-term hospitalizations or even life-changing complications,” he wrote. “I was shocked to discover how widespread the problem of falls at home is. Every 15 minutes, an older adult in the US dies from a fall. This is not just a statistic, it is a call to action.”
Citing statistics that illustrate how the U.S. population is aging at a faster pace, these trends help highlight the gaps in both the U.S. health care system and the homes in which older adults live.
“Falls alone are responsible for $50 billion in healthcare costs annually – a figure expected to double by 2030,” he wrote. “But these statistics only scratch the surface of a much more pressing problem: the growing gap between health care and the places where care is increasingly needed: the home.”
Americans cite their preference to age in greater numbers. Shaping the home to better accommodate the natural limitations that aging brings is essential to combating the unnecessary complications that can arise from falls in the home, Taylor said.
“More and more care is being delivered at home, and this trend is only accelerating,” he wrote. “Hospitals, insurers and healthcare providers recognize that the home is becoming an extension of the clinical environment. But for this shift to be successful, homes must adapt. They must be designed and adapted to meet the changing healthcare needs of residents, as the boundaries between healthcare facilities and the home are becoming blurred.”
It will take a multi-pronged approach from multiple constituencies — including policymakers, health care providers and even homebuilders — to better protect the older population from these types of harms, Taylor said.
