How MIE is Helping Seniors Age in Place

Aging in place is the goal for most seniors, and MiE is helping to make that happen one home at a time. We had the pleasure of interviewing Kris on the latest episode of Elder Law Hour, which aired on March 16th. We talked about how seniors want to age in place and the obstacles keeping them from doing so.

Kris has 15 years experience as an Occupational Therapist, including 13 years in home health care, where he had to figure out the safest way to help hundreds of patients complete the basic tasks of bathing, toileting and dressing.

What are the most common obstacles to someone actually aging in place?

1. Lighting - If you can see an obstacle, you can better avoid it. As we get older, we develop cataracts. Those cataracts don't let as much light in. We've got to be willing to upgrade the lighting and make sure there is overhead lighting for our loved ones. What we really want is we want lighting from above. The little lights plugged into outlets aren't the best because aging people can't refract the light properly from below.
2. Stuff on the floor - Kris tells people if it wasn't put there by the contractor, it doesn't belong on the floor. Think about items like clutter, area rugs, boxes, etc. We connect to the earth through our feet, and it's important that we keep the floor clear.
3. Door ways - Most homes were built in a time when doorways are 24 inches or more narrow. Adapting you doorways so that a walker or a wheelchair can get in and out will help seniors age in place.
4. The bed - Kris sees couples where one is typically taller than the other and generally the bed is at the right height for the taller partner. He encourages couples to be open to lowering the bed to make it easier to get in and out of. As Kris said on the show, "More falls happen in the bedroom than the bathroom!"

What does MiE offer seniors?

The Basic Bathroom Consult - An in-home 1-hour bathroom consultation helping you choose the equipment that would best solve the problems posed by aging and chronic conditions with a focus on economically retrofitting your bathroom to promote safety and independence.

The Home Safety Consult - An in-home 1.5 hr whole home consultation helping you choose the equipment that would best solve the problems posed by aging and chronic conditions with a focus on modifying existing
safety hazards in every room of the home and economically retrofitting your home to promote safety and independence.

The Home Modification Consult - An in-home 2 hr whole home consultation helping you choose the equipment that would best solve the problems posed by aging and chronic conditions with a focus on modifying existing safety hazards in every room of the home and economically retrofitting your home to promote safety and independence. During this consultation, measurements will be taken and conceptual drawings will be rendered.

At the end of the day, your home should be accessible for you! If you would like to get in touch with Kris, reach out to him by going to www.callbeforemomfalls.com or calling 904-710-8571.