Aging in Place, Through Blizzards and Beyond

The argument for aging in place just took a big hit during the blizzard of 2013.  It got buried under 3 feet of snow and ice and a week or more of limited mobility. No doubt the theory will nevertheless resurface after a few weeks of sunshine and
40+ degree temperatures.

Meanwhile, let’s take a look at what aging in place meant to many of Madison’s seniors. -- but let’s first define a specific category of seniors. 

1. Age 75 or older
2. Total annual income of $60K or less
3. Single or couple, but with at least one chronic health condition such as A-Fib, Diabetes, COPD, High Blood Pressure, artificial knees and/or hips --  or Cancer
4. Madison residency for 25 years or more
5. Owners of a 3 or 4 bedroom home purchased 25 or more years ago, which represents their highest value asset.
6. Located on a one acre lot, but more likely a 2+ acre lot
7. Formerly an avid Do-It Yourself (DIY) enthusiast who took pride in his/her home and grounds, but now limited in ability to keep up.
8. Active, but less so now, in church and other community organizations

Older seniors with various stages of health limitations may have looked out their windows on Saturday afternoon February 9th, noted the snow had finally stopped,
and made a cup of tea to sip while looking out the windows at a winter wonderland.  Ditto for Sunday, and maybe even Monday.  There might have been fleeting thoughts of getting out the shovel and the 15 year old small snow blower, and trying to at least make a pathway to the mailbox a 100 feet away at the curb.  But that idea was quickly rejected when it was discovered that the snow wasn’t fluffy white stuff but rather ice that had to be chipped out with an ax. 

By Monday the town road on which they lived had at least one lane cleared enough for cars – assuming one could get the car out of the driveway.  In order to save money, this senior household no longer had a regular plow company clear them out, choosing to just wait for the snow to melt enough for them to shovel and sweep themselves and save the money for their medications which seemed to take more and more of their modest fixed income each year.  One senior
couple joked to each other that they hoped the EMTs had waders (or snow shoes)
so they could get to the house in case of emergency. 

By Tuesday evening they were worried they wouldn’t be able to get out to the Food Pantry the next day, but learned it didn’t matter because the Food Pantry couldn’t open due to a shortage of deliveries in the preceding days. 
Fortunately they had some cans of soup and even a few slices of bread left to make toast.  And maybe they could get three cups of tea out of a tea bag instead of just two.

While they rejoiced that they had not lost electricity or heat, they also wondered if the oil company could make a delivery.  They feared the cold and the possibility of burst pipes.  Such repairs would be way beyond their budget.

As they sipped their weak tea on Thursday, they mused for the hundredth time about what had happened after the MASTR Survey on Senior Housing, the follow up Focus Group on Senior Housing they had participated in and made their needs known, and the Panel Discussion held several weeks later in which architects and builders and the P&Z had all agreed that housing designed for seniors was desperately needed but not feasible under the existing complex and costly P&Z regulation known as the Floating Zone.  Was there any progress toward building some age appropriate housing that they could afford after selling their home? Could they ever look forward to living in a condo or housing unit where there would be a community generator and a community plow service and the ability to get a Senior Bus to the bank and grocery store, and most importantly, the pharmacy.

They love their home of many decades, but know they no longer have either the money (their tidy 401K balance had plummeted during the financial crash but they could not reduce their expenses proportionately) nor the physical capability to maintain it.  Their beloved home is already showing signs of deterioration. 
Expensive repairs would be needed in a year or two if minor work is not done soon.   

What are our options?  We know we cannot age in place in our home.  But can we age in any place in Madison?  It is a question we ask ourselves almost daily.

What are our options?