Handymen, home care helps seniors trying to age in place
Program aims to improve lives, save government money
By LAURAN NEERGAARD, Associated Press
Published: September 8, 2016, 6:03am
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WASHINGTON — Where you live plays a big role in staying independent as you age. Now researchers say an innovative program that combined home fix-ups and visits from occupational therapists and nurses improved low-income seniors’ ability to care for themselves in their own homes.
Still to be answered is whether that better daily functioning also saves taxpayer dollars — by helping enough older adults with chronic health problems avoid costly hospital or nursing home stays.
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