senior living: where do you want to live when you grow up?

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TABLE OF CONTENTS W hy do you live where you live? Perhaps your choice is based on lifestyle, access to amenities, proximity to family and friends, proximity to schools, hospitals, and your place of worship. Some people thrive on the energy of downtown, while others need their back door to open into the great outdoors. of Public Health in Canada, our Chief Public Health Officer offered this definition. Aging in place of choice is the ability of individuals to choose to live in their own communities for as long as possible, and to have access to home and community services that will support this ability. To be able to live in our own communities of choice for as long as possible serves us as individuals. It also serves our communities and ultimately provides the most fiscally responsible solution. Aging in Place of Choice is Good for Us We all want to maintain our independence for as long as possible. According to CMHC, 85 percent of people age 55+ plan to stay in their own home as they age. Remaining in our own home and continuing to live in our own communities supports our ongoing need for affiliation and our desire to be connected. Feeling welcome and having a sense of autonomy ultimately enables us to keep our dignity. Research shows that overall health improves when we feel secure in our community and have a sense of belonging. Furthermore, seniors are more likely than younger people to have strong ties to and identify with their local community. Rhonda Latreille Regardless of the reasons, we know that where we live is directly related to how we live. This principle remains true as we transition through various life stages. There is much talk about “aging in place of choice.” The key word is choice. In the Report on The State Where Do You Want to Live when You Grow Up? According to CMHC, 85 percent of people age 55+ plan to stay in their own home as they age. SENIOR LIVING Photo credit: Gordon Roberts ©iStockphoto.com/monkeybusinessimages 70 The Society of Notaries Public of British Columbia Volume 22 Number 4 Winter 2013

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Page 1: Senior Living: Where Do You Want to Live When You Grow Up?

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Why do you live where you live?

Perhaps your choice is based on

• lifestyle,

• access to amenities,

• proximity to family and friends,

• proximity to schools, hospitals, and your place of worship.

Some people thrive on the energy of downtown, while others need their back door to open into the great outdoors.

of Public Health in Canada, our Chief Public Health Officer offered this definition.

Aging in place of choice is the ability of individuals to choose to live in their own communities for as long as possible, and to have access to home and community services that will support this ability.

To be able to live in our own communities of choice for as long as possible serves us as individuals. It also serves our communities and ultimately provides the most fiscally responsible solution.

Aging in Place of Choice is Good for usWe all want to maintain our independence for as long as possible. According to CMHC, 85 percent of people age 55+ plan to stay in their own home as they age.

Remaining in our own home and continuing to live in our own communities supports our ongoing need for affiliation and our desire to be connected. Feeling welcome and having a sense of autonomy ultimately enables us to keep our dignity. Research shows that overall health improves when we feel secure in our community and have a sense of belonging.

Furthermore, seniors are more likely than younger people to have strong ties to and identify with their local community.

Rhonda Latreille

Regardless of the reasons, we know that where we live is directly related to how we live. This principle remains true as we transition through various life stages.

There is much talk about “aging in place of choice.” The key word is choice. In the Report on The State

Where Do you Want to Live when you grow up?

According to CMHC, 85 percent of people age 55+

plan to stay in their own home as they age.

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70 The Society of Notaries Public of British Columbia Volume 22 Number 4 Winter 2013

Page 2: Senior Living: Where Do You Want to Live When You Grow Up?

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Aging in Place of Choice is Good for Our CommunitiesSeniors are engaged in their communities and make a significant contribution. It has been suggested that if our senior community were to terminate their volunteer participation, the economy would likely collapse upon the fiscal pressure of trying to replace those functions with paid positions.

Did you know that seniors contribute the highest average annual hours to volunteer activities than any other age group? They are also more likely to get out and vote and to actively lobby for local change.

Experience Counts! Our communities need to access the wealth of experience, knowledge, skills, and expertise of our senior population. That is called Social Capital. A community’s ability to draw upon that treasure trove of assets contributes to its long-term stability and the quality of the civic vision, planning, and development.

Aging in Place of Choice is Good for Our PocketbooksFinally, aging in our place of choice costs less.

The Ministry of Health sponsored a national study on the cost-effectiveness of home care

in comparison to residential care. The analysis of the cost data was clear. Whether you factored in the cost for formal paid care or the cost of both formal paid care and the cost of informal family care, the results were the same. Community care costs less than residential care.

We have seen that the ability to age in place contributes to the strength and health of the individual, our community, and our fiscal pocketbook. In the next edition of The Scrivener, we’ll look at some of the current housing challenges and how to create age-friendly environments, homes, and communities to help us age in place of choice. s

Rhonda Latreille, mBa, CPCa, is the founder of age-Friendly Business®.

Telephone: 1-877-272-7575 [email protected]

www.ageFriendlyBusiness.com.

To find out how you can become a Certified age-Friendly Business or a CPCa, phone toll-free 1-877-272-8086.

Our communities need to access the wealth

of experience, knowledge, skills, and expertise

of our senior population. That is called Social Capital.

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Join the fight. Leave a legacy.Did you know that a legacy gift to the Canadian Cancer Society can fight cancer and protect your estate from tax? The Estate Tax Eliminator Clause can reduce your final taxes to zero.

You can help fund the best cancer research, prevention and support programs. For your copy of the Estate Tax Eliminator Clause and a Personal Estate and Will Planning Guide, please contact Toni Andreola at [email protected] or call 1 800 663 - 2524.

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Gifts to the Canadian Cancer Society fund research and prevention initiatives and help families like the Kents create life-changing memories at Camp Goodtimes.

Volume 22 Number 4 Winter 2013 The Scrivener 71