Living Options (p1):
Research, explorations, discussions, and products and resources relating to Living Options: from Tech-enhanced Life.
Home Modifications, Shared housing, Village Movement, Co-Housing; Active Adult Community, Continuing Care
For Older Adults, their Families, and Caregivers
— and for Companies Creating Innovations Related to Aging.
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Analysis & Exploration | Explorer Discussions | Resources and Products shared by our Explorers.
Featured Guides & Reports: Living Options
Medical Alert Systems: Help!
We kept getting asked "which medical alert system is best?"; and "how do I choose the right medical alert system for me?". This independent, objective, hands-on research tries to answer those questions. If you are looking for a medical alert system, either for yourself or for an older adult such as a parent, this piece of research is for you.
Caring from Afar: Guide to Home Sensor Systems
Read our report on this new category of products, designed to help seniors stay at home longer, and to help their families worry about them less. There are important lessons to be learned about which ones work, and for which types of circumstance they are optimal.
Aging in Place: Why Technology & Gadgets Matter
In my mind, there is a compelling argument that the right gadgets and technology can make aging in place more successful and less expensive. And by more successful, I am thinking in particular of higher quality of life, more autonomy, and less dependence on the kindness of strangers. I don't think this argument gets made much in the media or by the aging services industry though. So here it is.
Cohousing: The Power of Community
Cohousing: The power of community. Thoughts from a cohousing pioneer.
Retirement Living Options
When it comes to retirement living options, the question of whether to stay at home or to move often looms large. Here are the things to consider so you make the right decision.
Fall proofing your house: a checklist
For the older adult worried about falls, one of the most important tasks is to "fall-proof" your house. There are numerous services you can retain to help with this. But how do you know they have done the right things? And, if you are the friend or family of an older adult, how can you do a "check" to make sure the house of the person you care for is relatively well "fall-proofed"? Here is a useful checklist developed by the Executive Director of Marin Villages.
Smart Home for Seniors: What, Why?
What is a "Smart Home for Seniors", we wondered? And how is it different from a normal smart home? And who would want one, and why? And, can you just get some specific smart home features relevant to you — in your current house? Or do you need a whole new house?
This article explores these questions.
Technology for Sheltering in Place
While staying at home for weeks or months on end is hard for everyone, older adults have some unique challenges. And as the enforced lockdown winds down eventually, those over 70 are likely to be the last to see a return to "normal" life. We created this page so members of the Tech-enhanced Life community have a place to share their learnings about how they are handling the challenges of "sheltering in place", and to compare notes about technologies they are finding useful.
Retirement Community vs "At Home"
Five years ago, when I started research on staying in our large home vs. a retirement community, I lost my appetite quickly about my wife & I staying in our home. I lost interest because:
1. I found local programs to take us to doctors & get nursing help at home as needed, but... ....... Read more
Fridge for Forgetful Senior
We have several problems relating to a fridge and a forgetful senior who lives alone. We worry that she will leave the fridge open by mistake and that the food will spoil and make her sick. We worry that she forgets to throw out food as it gets old, and that the food in her fridge includes food... .........Read more
Forget to Turn Water Off
As people grow older they often become somewhat forgetful. We start to worry about questions like "Did I leave the water running?" How do we make it so these sorts of questions are not things that we need to worry about? .........Read more
Smart Home Share & Learn: SF Explorers
When asked which smart home devices they have, San Francisco Explorers answer with more than a few of their personal favorites. .........Read more
Forget to Turn the Stove Off
Once or twice a month I leave the stove on after fixing breakfast. Most of the time I realize that I have left the stove on but it may be an hour or two after breakfast. I worry about what might happen as a result of this forgetfulness. .........Read more
Parent Continually Fiddling with Thermostat
Is your loved one continually misadjusting their thermostat — potentially causing health and financial issues? I wanted a thermostat that would work for people with dementia or impaired vision, or who for other reasons have trouble managing their thermostat. .........Read more
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Upside HoM
Upside HoM is intended to offer older adults apartment living with amenities in multigenerational buildings or campus settings.
Essential Retirement Planning for Solo Agers
This is a book about planning retirement for those aging alone (solo agers). One of our explorers brought it along to a meeting and recommends it.
Medicare.gov/Nursing Home Compare
Medicare.gov offers consumers a rating service for Nursing Homes that participate in the Medicare program.
The Senior Cohousing Handbook
Architect Charles Durrett focuses on the creation of intentional senior cohousing communities as the active adults' alternative to aging in an assisted living facility.
Silvernest - Roomates for Seniors
Silvernest, a roommate-matching service for boomers and empty nesters who have space to share.
Housing Information for Senior Citizens (HUD)
The US Department of Housing and Urban Renewal (HUD) sponsors this informative website. It is helpful to those seeking housing, especially affordable or subsidized housing, as well as family and friends who want to help in the search. It helps locate the appropriate type of housing, how to apply...
NORC Blueprint
This website explains NORCs, and explains how they work. NORC is an acronym for Naturally Occurring Retirement Community - a building, neighborhood, or section of a city not originally built for seniors, but where people are aging in place or have moved in to join like-minded others.
Village Movement: AARP Fact Sheet
This AARP Fact Sheet highlights the origin, growth, benefits, challenges and policy implications of Village organizations which are forming in hundreds of cities in the U.S.
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