A common stereotype of aging is an era of decline and shrinking horizons. The reality is far more nuanced. The process of aging isn’t uniform and many will find their health and functional trajectories widening as they get older. In fact some, like President Joe Biden or pioneering nurse-midwife Ruth Lubic, won’t make their greatest contributions until their later years. A key to healthy aging is maintaining or improving your health, which for our oldest adults, largely falls outside of healthcare facilities. For many, health allows us to feel safe wherever we are. Led by Sarah L. Szanton, PhD, ANP, FAAN, the CAPABLE (Community Aging in Place—Advancing Better Living for Elders) program aims to improve both the function and cost of elderly care, by teaming a nurse, an occupational therapist and a handy worker to address the home environment, while encouraging the strengths of the older adults themselves to improve safety, independence, and ensuring dignity based on the client’s goals. By installing small, cost effective yet thoughtful adaptations to the home environment, older adults can ease the navigation of activities of daily living—things like bathing, dressing, standing to cook, moving up and down stairs—that sustain and promote their physical, mental, and emotional energy—leading to richer lives full of creativity and meaningful contribution.

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Guests Featured in this Episode
Sarah L. Szanton, PhD, ANP, FAAN

Episode Resources
• Sarah L. Szanton, PhD, ANP, FAAN
• CAPABLE
• Older Americans Month 2021
• CAPABLE Video: Aging vignette featuring Sarah Szanton / We Got This
• CAPABLE Video: Sarah Szanton - Heinz Award
• Many Older Adults Lack Even Simple, Helpful Equipment
• Effect of a Biobehavioral Environmental Approach on Disability Among Low-Income Older Adults: A Randomized Clinical Trial