There's no place like home

It's official. A recent AARP survey found that 95 percent of elders age 75 and older want to stay in their own homes as long as possible. That comes as no surprise to me. My dad's mom lived in her home we'd now call it "aging in place" until she was well into her nineties. Her clubs - the Friendly Workers, the Garden Club her church where she attended services every Sunday, volunteered to cook for the charity suppers and "helped the old people up the stairs," coupled with her flower and vegetable gardens sustained her in the decades after my grandfather passed away. My dad would take her out to supper and help her with her bills one night a week. My uncles kept the yard neat and mended what needed mending in the house. A feisty and independent soul who once chased a burglar with a broom, these small accommodations let my grandma live life the way she wanted for as long as possible. We had to get her a little more help a live-in-companion when she reached her nineties and fell and broke her wrist, but that extra acquiescence on her part allowed her to maintain her independence for longer than any of us thought possible. I have fond memories of her, the family dinners she prepared with our help, of course as the years progressed, the tea and homemade cookies or cupcakes she always had when my dad, my sister and I stopped to visit on a weekend afternoon, her hugs, her kisses, the locket she gave me because I admired it when she was wearing it one day. My wish is that every elder could have the kind of life my grandmother experienced in her later years. It takes work on our part the children and the grandchildren to see that our elders have what they need as they age. But as Richard Cabral, Director of Community Services at Glenmeadow points out in this month's feature article, it may not take that much to ensure our loved ones living arrangements remain a "home, sweet home" for as long as possible. And, if the situation changes and you need to find a new living arrangement, PRIME's Tech writer, Rick Castinelli has collected a listing of the best online sites for researching senior housing options. Debbie Gardner, PRIME Editor What you'll find online this month: • Information on how to best utilize the Medicare Part D prescription plan options to avoid the "donut hole"