(Radio Iowa) – A national study by A-A-R-P looked at where members want to live as they get older. A-A-R-P vice president Rodney Harrell says the numbers are pretty decisive. “The vast majority of people 50 and older, about three quarters, want to stay in their homes or stay in their communities as they age,” he says. Harrell says there’s a concern that the services offered in their communities may not be enough. “Most older adults feel that their communities meet their needs today, but only half of them were confident that that would be the case, that they could stay in their communities as they age, and 44 percent said that they would need to move in the future, or at least they anticipated doing so,” Harrell says. Things like getting a ride to the doctor are a concern, especially in rural areas.

“You don’t have the ability for transportation that’s around. If your mother doesn’t drive, can she get around to those appointments? Does she have the public transportation options, or the non emergency medical transportation, or any of the other options that could be there to help her get to what she needs?,” he says. And he says most homes are built to accommodate younger people and though it may be paid off, it may not be the best situation for mom. “Navigating the home safely and getting around to do what she needs to do. I mean, there’s layers of these challenges that hit each of us,” Harrell says. “So I think all of us need to think about, you know, each piece of our home as we’re thinking about the changes that we need to make to thrive there.” Harrell says the positive thing for those who are getting older is there are lots of resources to help you.

“Go to our A-A-R-P website. We have great assets like our home fit guide that tells you about the room by room approach to look at your home and the types of changes you can make,” he says. ” We’ve got our livability index that tells you about your neighborhood. But also, there are resources in every community that can help.” Harrell says check out those resources and see what you can use to help you stay in your home as you age. He says it’s also a good idea to start looking at those issues as early as you can so you can be ready to make changes to improve you situation.