Another note about attitude and planning ahead

I came across a couple of blog entries that spurred some thoughts related to the last post. The first opened as follows: "The accident that alters your life happens to you at the most unexpected moment in your life”. The author was primarily discussing issues for the disabled in public places, but notes that the aging population is also a large issue for design. What struck me about this statement was that it is true whether we are 40 or 80--few of us truly think that a disabling fall or other event is going to happen. And hopefully, it won't, but there is a difference between optimism and denial, between expecting the worst and actively looking for ways to avoid or mitigate the worst.

This ties into a statement by Elinor Ginzler, 55, AARP's director of livable communities: "We minimize risk in our financial investments. Why shouldn't we do it in our homes?" Elinor is quoted is a very good article that appeared in the Washington Post written by Annie Groer and available online at this blog (click here). She makes an excellent point--much of this is about risk management, just not risk management in a way we are used to thinking about it. AIP is about more of course--all the emotional benefits of staying independent--but perhaps it behooves us all to think of it more as risk management. That certainly puts a virtuous, non-indulgent tone on it. It helps convey that you have a range of options, all of which can help and deliver different benefits according to your needs and goals, just as you have different options for your financial portfolio. Most seniors would not invest in penny stocks, but not thinking about their aging-in-place needs is just as risky. and mitigating that risk can be as simple as just moving the coffee machine up to the bedroom, as one couple in the article did.

The first entry, author, by the way, is writing about Sri Lanka--another example of the global relevance of this issue. That blog is available here.