Aging in Place: How to Prepare Your Home and Simplify Caregiving with Tech

By Kim Selby

The Desire to Age in Place

Many of us are helping loved ones to ‘age in place,’ something we hope to do ourselves. We and our care recipient are not alone in this desire.

Research from the University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging shows that 88% of adults age 50 – 80 felt it is important to remain in their homes for as long as possible. The study also reveals that many are not prepared to age in place. In the article “Most Want to ‘Age in Place’ at Home, But Many Aren’t Prepared,” Sheria Robinson-Lane, a member of the National Poll on Healthy Aging Team, says:

Seniors should plan for the assistance they will need — list the people, businesses and organizations that might be able to help out when necessary.

Seniors who want to stay in their homes also might need to get a bit more tech-savvy.

The National Institute on Aging, in its article “Aging in Place: Growing Older at Home,” outlines steps to plan for and address concerns related to growing older at home as well as providing resources to help you.

The importance of preparing to age in place

Ann, our almost 95-year-old widow and age-tech tester said this when she was 92: “The concept of aging in place in the home where you spent most of your life, 63+ years for me, is wonderful but not simple. It entails so many issues to be addressed. Those issues should be addressed in your late 70s or early 80s. At my age, I am not only disinterested but I also lack the capability of dealing with or executing any plans. It used to be that I made decisions quickly and easily but now I feel as though I am almost incapable of doing anything. It was a big mistake that my husband and I never talked about what could or would happen when one of us was no longer here.”

Preparing to age in place…wherever that may be

Whether you are a widow like Ann, aging solo or with a partner, it makes sense to find technology to bring simplicity to organizing the information about running your home that only you or your partner would know. It doesn’t matter if you consider “home” to be your house, condo, apartment, senior living or continuing care community, as each has its own set of issues. What does matter is that critical information about your home can be easily captured and shared with your current and/or future caregiver(s) and with those who coordinate the care of your home while you are still living there.

Age-tech to help you age in place

On the “2022 AgeTech Market Map, we found a software product called Everplans. Two modules within Everplans, the “Home and Property” and “Home Operating System,” helped us to catalog and share information about Ann’s homes. We tested these two modules over a two-year period. The benefits Ann and her caregiver experienced was a reduction in caregiver burden as information about Ann’s homes was organized, easily accessible and safely shared.

Ann and I started our testing with the free trial of Everplans. We upgraded to Everplans Premium for $75 a year because Ann has two homes to catalog and the free version only allows for one home. Ann found that using Everplans’ online vault was of value because it makes sharing information with others secure and easier. It also makes continually adding information seamless. Having the Everplans app literally puts the information Ann needs to share in the palms of the hands of the people who will be taking care of her home for her.

Ann made her son, who lives 3000 miles away, a Deputy. He now has access to all the critical information about running her homes, including a printed, hard copy of the plan. In addition, Ann can make her granddaughter and grandson who live nearby deputies and give them access to her homes’ information. Now, should she need someone to call a handyman, any one of the three deputies could open the Everplans app or go online to Everplans and call the handyman to coordinate the repair. She also likes the fact that she can cancel her Everplans subscription at any time and still have a paper version of her plan.

Ann says, “At this time in my life, it is very difficult for me to have the energy or desire to be interested in much of anything, but it is comforting to know that there is a place where information can be obtained easily if and when I need help. I am happy that I started my age-tech plan at this time with Kim’s help.”

Sharing your age-tech plan

With Ann completing the first entry in her age-tech plan, she starts her journey to use technology to assist those who are assisting her. For others, it can facilitate living longer independently and can reduce caregiver burden in the future, which will enhance the sense of well-being for everyone involved. At your local senior centers or library book clubs you may find like-minded people who want to join you on your age-tech journey. Together you can create your own tech-savvy village to help each other successfully age in place.

For detailed step-by-step instructions on how to access the “Home and Property” and “Home Operating System” on Everplans please visit www.agetechplans.com.

If you want to learn more about Everplans, these two articles may be helpful:

“Everplans Review” by Sarah Goldy-Brown, SeniorLiving.org

“3 Sites to Help Aging Parents Organize Vital Details” by Liz Weston, Nerdwallet

Thank you for joining Ann and me on our age-tech journey. Be sure to join us next time as we explore another important facet of the age-tech plan.

About the author: Kim Selby, CFP, RICP, CEPS

Kim Selby, CFP®, RICP®, CEPS is a freelance writer focusing on the intersection of aging and technology from the point of view of a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER professional, Retirement Income Certified Professional®, Certified Elder Planning Specialist and caregiver. She is currently developing content for the “Age-Tech Plan” through research and hands-on experience. She is the founder of agetechplans.com.

About the tester: Ann

Ann is a 94-year-old age-tech tester and editor. Ann’s perspective about what it is like to be 94 deepens our understanding of the practical applications of age-tech. At Ann’s stage of aging, her lifelong passions for grammar and teaching are invaluable and still as pertinent as ever!