Mary Alexander: Hi! I'm Mary Alexander from Home Instead Senior Care, and today I'm going to talk about how to choose a Certified Aging in Place Specialist.

Studies have shown that 89% of people, 50 and older wish to remain in their own homes indefinitely regardless of their age or ability level. Their memories, belongings and the ability to follow their own familiar schedules, all contribute to the desire to spend their later years at home.

Following this lifestyle path is called Aging in Place. Ultimately for the senior, it means the reassurance of being able to call a house a home for a lifetime. In order for your parents to be able to aging in place, they'll likely need to make some modifications to their home in order to increase access and maneuverability.

Modifications can range from the installation of bath and shower grab bars to adjustments of countertop heights, to the creation of multifunctional first floor master suites or the installation of chairlifts or private elevators.

How big is this Aging-in-Place movement? Well, according to the National Association of Home Builders, 75% of our modelers have seen an increase in requests for Aging in Place work and 60% are already performing this type of work.

If you're interested in helping your parents remain in their home, you'd likely want to consult with a Certified Aging in Place Specialist. In this video series we'll talk about what a Certified Aging in Place Specialist is, how they can help and ways to choose the right one for your project. We'll also give you seven health considerations to look at to determine what types of home modifications maybe necessary in order for your parents to age-in-place. Lastly, we'll talk about some possible funding sources to pay for the necessary modifications.

Home Instead Senior Care, the national leader in providing in-home care for seniors, is bringing you this video series to help you help your senior loved ones. Helping seniors is something Home Instead has been doing passionately now for more than 15 years. I not only work for home instead, but I'm a Certified Senior Advisor. More importantly, I am currently a long distance caregiver for my dad and I spent several months caring for my mom locally.

In the next video I'm going to talk about Certified Aging in Place Specialists and their benefits.