Aging & Aging Well: How Apps Can Help

Discussion surrounding retirement planning tends to focus on money. How much money will I need? How sufficient will my income from my Canada Pension Plan, Old Age Security payments, or other forms of pensions be? Will I be able to leave any money behind for my children? Some number-crunching and an assessment of your personal financial situation will help to answer these questions, but fail to account for the more human-side of retirement. While discussions surrounding money are undoubtedly important, we need retirement planning to go beyond financial security, and take a more holistic approach that focuses on your emotional, mental, and physical wellness. Coming up with appropriate strategies to manage these areas of your life will ensure that you don’t just age, but you age well.

Try asking yourself these questions: What are my core values? What are my expectations of my family as I continue to age? Do I want to live on my own for as long as possible, or is a retirement home a good option for me? The emotional attachment we feel towards our homes is a key motivation for the majority of retirees to insist on living at home for as long as possible. This attitude is common among the aging community; and with the help of technology, aging in place has evolved to become an increasingly accessible, viable option.

By looking inward and reflecting on your own personal values and priorities, you may begin to visualize ways to ensure that you retire in the most suitable fashion. First, let’s take a look at some of the additional costs that should be considered for those who choose to age in place. Then, we’ll take a look at how you can use technology to help you maintain your independence.


Costs of aging in place

Financial costs. For those of you who greatly value your independence and have decided that you want to live at home for as long as possible, there are some costs you need to consider. The cost of retirement homes in Canada can range anywhere from $30,000 to $200,000 per year. If you decide to age in place, the costs of upgrading your house can be up to $50,000. These home upgrades can include: widening doorways, installing interior and exterior ramps, bathtub removal, raising toilet seats, installing railings, among other renovations. While these home upgrades may seem pricey, they are necessary as they ensure that your home remains accessible to you.

Other costs of aging in place can include outstanding mortgage payments, wage for home caregivers or hired help, additional transportation costs, among others. Organization of some of these logistics may seem daunting, it is important to recognize that various smartphone apps can greatly help you. At the end of this blog post I have identified some apps that I deem to be very useful  – make sure you check them out.

Emotional costs. There are trade-offs with any big life decision – choosing to age at home or in a retirement home is no exception. A retirement home can provide you with a large social network – which has beem proven to be an important determinant of life satisfaction. On the other hand, choosing to grow old at home can leave you feeling isolated. The rise of social networking and online communication, however, can help offset some of the negative effects associated with social isolation.

As mentioned previously, many retirees choose to live at home because of their strong commitment to maintaining their independence. In efforts to maintain this sense of independence, you may begin to feel frustrated as the things that were once so easy and mindless to do (i.e. cook dinner, do your laundry, and mop the floor) get harder and harder, as your physical abilities decline. Like with your home renovations, there is a wide range of smartphone apps that can help you complete these simple tasks and ease your emotional state. 
 

There’s an app for that. The rapid evolution of today’s digital landscape and the subsequent rise of smartphone apps have revealed an abundance of exciting opportunities that can make your life remarkably easier.

 Do you have plans to meet your friends, but no longer hold a valid driver’s license to drive there? There’s an app for that.

Do your lightbulbs need to be changed, but you can no longer reach it? There’s an app for that.

Do you want to see to your grandchildren, but are a little too tired to leave the house? Hey, guess what - there’s an app for that too.

The enormous pool of apps available to you span nearly every dimensions of life - including transportation, food services, health management, finances, home maintenance, and leisure. Additionally, with the current trend of fewer children providing care and supporting the aging process, there is a necessity to turn to technology for assistance.

Welcoming smartphone apps into your life provides you with an easy way to access the things you want and need, all while maintaining your independence well in to old age. Just below, I have outlined some of our favorite apps and a description of the services they provide.