There are many benefits to proactivity planning for aging and caregiving:
- It will save us time and money – to arrange practical ways of situating ourselves and meeting our needs.
- We create more certainty and control for ourselves and the people we are asking to help us (our paid and unpaid caregivers).
- This is an empowering way to maintain our confidence as we age.
- We can generate new and more customized housing and care options that otherwise might not be available!
- We can safeguard ourselves against the expected vulnerabilities of aging and caregiving (e.g. moving in a crisis, financial abuse, inaccessible home, challenges with arranging needed safety or home care services).
- We increase our social connections and access to resources through our networks and choices!
Benefits to our Neighborhoods and Towns
- Our homes and communities can be designed more inclusively, and be ready for an aging population
- Our models of living can foster more social interaction and relationships across generations.
- Our neighborhoods can foster supportive social and caregiving networks.
Benefits to Organizations working with Seniors and Caregivers
- Healthcare provider organizations can use technologies to share clinical information more efficiently with patients and bring caregivers more fully “into the circle of care”.
- Clinicians can help older adults (and their caregivers) to better self-manage and reduce risks of health conditions.
- Housing developers and home care organizations can develop more innovative and inclusive solutions for aging boomers based on their identified preferences, needs and a co-design process.