A New Approach to Aging in Place

A local organization helps seniors spend their golden years at home

By Vera Wilson

It's a familiar situation: adult children, worried about their parents' safety and well-being, urge them to leave the home they've lived in for years and move in with family or into a care facility. But the parents often resist, firmly refusing to leave.

As America ages—4.4 million people will turn 65 this year, according to the Census Bureau—more families will face the difficult decision of how to care for their elderly loved ones. For many seniors, staying in their homes is about more than just comfort; it's about preserving community ties, cherished memories, and independence. Sometimes, the decision to stay is driven by financial constraints, as the cost of long-term care facilities is simply out of reach, and moving in with family isn’t always an option.

That’s where organizations like Wilmington’s Aging in Place come to the rescue. Originally created to assist downtown residents, Aging in Place is a program offered by the nonprofit Comprehensive Care of Wilmington. Thanks to expanded funding, the group now helps seniors throughout Wilmington stay in their homes by offering what they refer to as “options counseling.” All their services are free of charge.

Susan Silver, executive director of Comprehensive Care, explains that options counseling begins with an in-depth conversation with the senior, who must be over 55 years of age. The conversation can be held at the person’s home, at the Aging in Place office, or even over the phone. 

“The discussion touches on 12 different aspects of daily living that have an impact on a person’s ability to stay in their homes successfully as they age,” says Silver. “We feel like we’ve developed quite a good instrument to help people — and us — assess their ability to stay at home.”

Silver is quick to point out they are not case managers or social workers that come into a home and evaluate the living conditions. Although they will talk with family members, Aging in Place remains a neutral third-party, and it is ultimately the decision of the senior how to move forward. 

“We depend on the individual senior to describe their current situation, their ability to perform certain tasks, and what kind of support network they have in place,” says Silver. 

Through this process, the volunteers at Aging in Place are able to identify areas the senior might need assistance with, now and as they grow older, and recommend the available resources they believe will best address their needs. 

“That’s what we’ve become experts at over the years: knowing where the resources lie, knowing what the requirements or restrictions may be, and how to combine them into a more comprehensive approach to solving problems,” explains Silver. 

Per their website, they can counsel on any of the following: medical, mental health, social, homemaking, legal, technology, safety, home modification and maintenance, financial, nutrition, housing, and transportation.

These resources can be other nonprofits, governmental organizations or those in the private sector, although Silver notes they don’t promote any particular for-profit business. 

“It turns out there’s a lot of resources — local, state and federal — that a person can tap into,” she says, “but most people aren’t aware of them. We’re not the ones who make the call, but we’re good at explaining to people what resources might help and that they can get involved in,” says Silver.

For example, Silver mentions the all-too-common situation of where one half of a couple has aged more quickly and may need to be cared for at a facility, but their spouse is willing and able to stay at home. 

“Most couples don’t know that Medicaid works to preserve income for what they call the community-dwelling spouse,” she says.

Silver is thankful for the volunteers she has, many of whom have been with the organization for years and have valuable experience and expertise. Silver, herself a volunteer, has an impressive background in Health Services Administration. This also allows the organization to function on a bare-bones budget. 

Another issue Comprehensive Care is tackling is affordable housing for seniors. Having secured land in downtown Wilmington for 15 to 20 homes, Cityplace, as the project is known, will have on site support and offer housing for seniors as well as young adults with disabilities, two highly compatible groups, according to Silver. 

The group would like to do more outreach to publicize their services, like speaking at churches. Silver heard about an elderly woman whose nephew discovered her water and electricity had been turned off. 

“He had no idea what to do for her,” she says. “I can tell them what to do.” 

If you would like to donate to or volunteer with Comprehensive Care, please visit their websites, aginginplacedowntown.org or cityplacewilmington.org