Aging In Place Professionals - Education & Connection Make Us All Stronger

More and more people are choosing to remain living at home as they age. For the adult children and caregivers, it can be incredibly challenging to take on the hours and hours of research to track down professionals who can support aging seniors in their own homes. Luckily, one local man saw this need through the eyes of his own experience helping his aging parents to remain in their home and set about to create an organization of professionals that could serve others in doing the same. That man is Patrick Manning, and the organization is called Aging In Place Professionals, or AIPP.

"My folks were approaching 90 years old," Patrick shared. "They were living at their own home. My dad was an old sailor during the war, and the captain of the ship, as he reminded us growing up. And he said, 'The only way I'm leaving this house is feet first on a gurney,' and by golly, he got his wish. ... We respected his wishes, as my family had done for generations, in helping our parents live out their lives in their home. And that's basically what aging in place means. It's those that opt to live in their homes for the rest of their life."

Supporting his parents through this time, Patrick found himself doing a lot of research and legwork to find local companies who could help his mom and dad remain safe and comfortable at their home. "I had to access a lot of resources to help my folks age in place," he said. "Anything from companies that do accessibility work to help modify my mom and dad's bathroom ... [to making] sure there was an accessible shower in there so they would have daily hygiene. ... So, I researched the different companies that made accessibility modifications. ... At the end, we also had companion care come in. That's non-medical care. Eventually, we had a nurse come in, so that was medical care, and then we had hospice come in ... as somebody who understood end of life. ... As the need came up to take care of my parents, I realized that there were a lot of resources in the greater Cleveland area, and I knew the demographic so I knew there was a lot of folks out there that needed all this help. That's why I started the Aging In Place Professionals five years ago."

The group exists as a hub for professionals to come together, get to know one another and exchange referrals, get educated on what options are available in the area, and share those options with local seniors. "We bring in an industry expert every month to talk about some aspect of aging in place," Patrick said. "We have speakers come in from the Alzheimer's Association and talk about Alzheimer's and dementia. We had an audiologist come in and talk about hearing. We have people coming in and talking about finances. We had somebody talk about hoarding. All of these [are] different types of situations and issues that seniors are facing. So, we want to, number one, educate our members about that so they can learn more, but also, as they're sitting there with their peers, they can get to know the other professionals that are providing these services. And when they go into their [senior clients'] homes, now they have some information, some education, and are able to identify these other services that the senior may need. ... We're helping them live at home safely and comfortably."

As of this writing, the next scheduled event is Tuesday, April 14th, 2015 at 8:30 A.M. The topic for this event will be Recognizing and Preventing Elder Abuse and the speaker will be Anne Spelic (Director of Community-Based Programs for the Cuyahoga County Division of Senior & Adult Services).

The event will be at Sunrise Senior Living (21600 Detroit Road in Rocky River, OH) and we encourage you to call Patrick at 440-263-6882 with any questions. There are no membership fees, and the group meets monthly.

As always, you can reach me directly at 216-212-7531, by email at Brian.HandyPro@gmail.com or online at www.StayAtHomeModificationsINC.com.

Please enjoy the full audio recording of my conversation with Patrick by clicking the player below...