To stay out of nursing homes, N.L. seniors need help preventing falls at home, says advocate
Over 80 per cent of hospitalizations for seniors due to falls, 1/3 end up in care homes as a result: report
For 66-year-old Charlie Boddie, aging well is a mindset.
"Use it or lose it," Boddie says, grinning and tapping his temple. "This is a powerful thing up here, between the ears."
But Boddie — who could be found clutching a guitar on Wednesday morning at a packed seniors' jam session in St. John's — concedes it's not all about hobbies, passion or laughter.
Sometimes aging well is also about getting rid of the stairs.
"We have a ramp outside our house," says Marilyn Lythgoe, a fellow member of the St. John's Retired Citizen's Association.
"If anybody in a wheelchair wants to come to visit, then our house is open. Just as easy to build a ramp as to build a set of stairs, right?"
Susan Walsh, the province's seniors' advocate, would say the research is firmly on Lythgoe's side.
In a new report, Walsh revealed nearly three out of four seniors her office surveyed hadn't made any changes to their homes to prepare for the future.
Walsh told reporters Wednesday there's a direct link between falls and needing to enter long-term care, but many seniors say they can't afford to make modifications to their homes, don't know who to hire, or simply have no idea where to start.
"We know that seniors want to age at home. Eighty-four per cent reported this in our consultations," she said.
Walsh is recommending the Newfoundland and Labrador government launch a how-to guide and awareness campaign so people can start to plan preventative measures in their own living spaces — what Walsh frames as the best way to ensure they can age at home.
Walsh is also recommending government begin an interest-free loan program for home modifications, and says the province should pay for small assistive devices, like hand railings for showers, as part of its prescription drug coverage.
Long-term care homes in Newfoundland and Labrador are already bursting at the seams, she added, and won't be able to handle an influx of residents 10 or 15 years from now.
While her recommendations aren't binding, Walsh is urging government to act now.
"I can honestly tell you they have a very small window. They have about five years before we're going to see significant demand coming for more institutional care," she said.
"And you can either get ahead of it or you can be behind it."
Lythgoe is already ahead of it. She and her husband are active, healthy and social, but have also purposefully ensured their house will be livable for years to come.
"I've watched people my age … who have lots of stairs in their home. And when something happens like an accident or an injury or someone loses a leg, you know, they have to sell everything off very quickly, oftentimes lose everything because they have stairs in their home," Lythgoe said.
"I think we're set for aging in our own place. And hopefully both of us will maintain our health well enough to be able to do that."
Elaine Aylward, a director with the retirees' association, agrees. She planned over a decade ago to live in her own home until the day she dies.
"We just built a home about 14 years ago, and it's completely accessible," Aylward, 69, said.
"When I walked in the door, I said, 'the next step for me is Caul's.'"
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