7 Habits of Highly
Successful Aging in Place People
I came across a very interesting and well written blog by
Patrick Roden, PhD. He took Stephen
Coveys concepts on how to create a better human being titled “The 7 habits of
highly effective people” and applied it to Aging In Place. Read Patrick’s
version below of “The 7 habits of highly effective people Aging In Place.”
If we all could follow these “Habits” we would all be in a better place.
Enjoy!
Habit 1: Be Proactive
Synopsis: Take
initiative in life by realizing your decisions (and how they align with life’s
principles) are the primary determining factors for effectiveness in your life.
Taking responsibility for your choices and the subsequent consequences that
follow.
Aging in Place:
Be Proactive; day-in-and-day-out you are faced with “choice points” that will
have a cumulative effect on your independence. If you choose what’s easy now
(not take that walk and stay on the couch—or not install that light on the
stairs and put up with the dark steps); life will be hard later.
Many people wait until a crisis to begin the aging-in-place
remodeling projects; and crisis-driven interventions are seldom as effective as
proactive ones.
Proactivity is being anticipatory and taking charge of
situations; adaptivity is about responding to change, proactivity is about
initiating change.
Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind
Synopsis:
Self-discover and clarify your deeply important character values and life
goals. Envisioning the ideal characteristics for each of your various roles and
relationships in life.
Aging in Place:
Begin With the End in Mind is making the future a part of your current
philosophy. According to the Aging in America study of several years ago,
seniors fear nursing homes over death; so for most, independence is a deeply
held value and goal.
Think seriously about how much you value the rituals and
natural rhythms of your simple daily living at home that you’ve cultivated over
the years. Coffee in the morning and reading the paper in your favorite chair
perched in the front window; after you let the cat out. Or shopping at the
grocer where the clerk knows you by first name—then imagine life without them.
Look around the house and determine what is going to
potentially be a challenge in the coming years. Do an aging-in-place assessment
and make a priority list of action items.
Is adding a bathroom on the first floor, installing a lift
on the stairs, or an access ramp, something I can do now that will keep me in
my home 5-10 years from now?
Hosting family over for traditional life events; and being
able to have grand kids stay whenever you choose. Does being a grandparent mean
having a home where grand kids can find refuge and a place to stay?
Habit 3: Put First Things First
Synopsis:
Planning, prioritizing, and executing your week’s tasks based on importance
rather than urgency. Evaluating if your efforts exemplify your desired
character values, propel you towards goals, and enrich the roles and
relationships elaborated in Habit 2.
Aging in Place:
Prioritizing remodeling goals with budget in mind. What are the
“biggest-bang-for-the-buck” aging-in-place remodeling items?
Consult a Certified Aging in Place Specialist (CAPS); Architect specializing in Universal design;
or Ocupational Therapist trained in aging-in-place design.
Habit 4: Think Win-Win or No Deal
Synopsis:
Genuinely striving for mutually beneficial solutions or agreements in your
relationships. Valuing and respecting people by understanding a “win” for all
is ultimately a better long-term resolution than if only one person in the
situation had gotten their way.
Aging in Place:
Win-win means considering the concerns of spouses as well as adult children.
Staying in one’s home may not be the best solution for all parties. Sometimes
aging in place is not possible.
Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, then to be Understood
Synopsis: Using
empathetic listening to be genuinely influenced by a person, which compels them
to reciprocate the listening, take an open mind to being influenced by you,
which creates an atmosphere of caring, respect, and positive problem solving.
Aging in Place:
Listen to partner/spouse and understand their wants and needs for
aging-in-place remodeling; as well as to CAPS remodeling professionals for
suggestions prior to making decisions.
Habit 6: Synergize
Synopsis:
Combining the strengths of people through positive teamwork, so as to achieve
goals no one person could have done alone. How to yield the most prolific
performance out of a group of people through encouraging meaningful
contribution, and modeling inspirational and supportive leadership.
Aging in Place:
Synergize with other family members by sharing aging-in-place goals; ask for
feedback and input; form a team-work approach with CAPS professionals.
Make the community part of your aging in place team
strategy; employ senior services like meals-on-wheels; the local area agency on
aging; AARP chapters; churches; See Aging in Place HELP for more resources.
Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw
Synopsis: The
balancing and renewal of your resources, energy, and health to create a
sustainable long-term effective lifestyle.
Aging in Place:
Keep up on new technologies for aging-in-place; visit web sites for
developments in universal design; and educate yourself about what’s available
in the aging in place market. Aging in Place Technology Watch will Keep you up
on the fast changing home telemetry sector.
Keep physically and mentally fit (your body and mind need to
be available to you) for successfully aging in place.
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