There's No Place Like Home

Stiff knees and lost keys . . . signs of aging, or just the need to exercise and organize? Facing the future without a plan is like driving with your eyes closed, and you can't plan without a road map. This book is just that, a planning tool for living in your own home for the long term.

"Aging in place" is a popular term for being able to live in your own home as you age. "Aging," however, implies a level of decline that many people are not content to accept. It is possible to get older without deteriorating. Aging actively is a way to stay young while you get old. And probably the best place do that, as long as you are safe and comfortable, is in your own home.

Learn how to make your home function in an age appropriate way, how to keep from aging as you get older, and learn simple but enhanced routines for meals, travel, social activities, brain health, and much more.

If you are planning your own upcoming years and wondering how best to handle the issues of where to live, and how to live your best, or if you have parents facing these questions, "There's No Place Like Home - Aging Actively to Be Safe, Healthy and Independent" is a valuable source of thoughtful information and imaginative suggestions, written in an entertaining and completely accessible style. How to Use this Book

This book is not a narrative tale, it is a guide, and since you may need more guidance in some areas than in others, the book is meant to be read as you choose. You might not need much advice in some areas, but be at a loss in others, so pick and choose which chapters are most relevant for you. I would suggest, however, that you skim, not skip, the chapters that you feel are less important to you.

For example, you might run half marathons, and are wearing out the weighs at your gym, so you may think the chapter on exercise is one you can skip. But do you know the four types of exercises that you should be doing? Are you doing them all? Are you working both halves of your body? Are you in a rut? What about times when you can't go running or to the gym, can you do enough at home to feel you have worked out? Do you know how to make exercise fun? Skim the chapter, just to make sure you aren't missing something that will be useful to you.

The chapter on "Not Cooking" may not seem to apply to you if you are a gourmet home chef. But what about those days when you just want to eat without a fuss? Who doesn't love a few shortcuts? And are your meals as healthy as they could be? You might learn how to make your diet more nutritious, and how to cut your food bills at the same time.

Perhaps you are highly organized. Your spices are alphabetized, and your closets are efficiently organized by color, season and event. But while your home may be organized, is it functioning in an age appropriate way? Don't skip the chapters on making your home safe, comfortable and functional. Learn how your perception is often fooled, and tricks to really see what's there.

You might be an avid traveler, but travel changes as you get older, so take a look at that chapter for ideas and suggestions for making sure your trips are always enjoyable.

You might be so busy with friends and activities you hardly have time for lunch, much less reading a chapter on how to make use of your time. But with dozens of suggestions you may never have considered, you might discover even more things you need to find time to do.

There are chapters on activities for brain health, projects for groups, and guided meditations. And check out the supplements at the back of the book. There are handy checklists for home safety, shopping lists, menus, and a workout plan. So as you read, skip around, if you like, but don't skip anything altogether. You never know, you might find this little book is bigger than it looks from the outside.

Enjoy