Declaration of Independence: Assisted living facilities offer freedom--with a little help.

• Author: Lindberg, Kelley J.P.

An 89-year-old woman plays catch with a three-year-old boy in the lobby. A white-haired woman helps a gaggle of curious boys from a local mother-and-child's club hunt for turtles in the lobby's goldfish pond. Half-a-dozen elderly men and women offer encouragement to a handful of preschoolers drawing pictures. In the adjoining room, an aerobics teacher leads a dozen focused seniors in a session of chair aerobics.

It's vibrant. It's noisy. It's just another day at Apple Village Assisted Living in Layton, where residents in their sixth, seventh, eighth and even ninth decades are living independent lives, with just enough assistance to help them be self-sufficient.

All across Utah, assisted living facilities like Apple Village have drastically improved life for seniors who want the privacy and independence of their own apartment, but who need just a little assistance to get through the day.

Overcoming Overkill

As of the 2000 U.S. Census, 190,000 Utah residents were over 65 years old. Estimates show that number - 8.5 percent of the Utah population - doubling or even tripling over the next 10 years.

Medical advances and healthier lifestyles are increasing longevity. In fact, the census showed that today's fastest-growing population segment is the over-85 crowd.

The bad news is that, while we are living longer, our bodies are still aging. Losses -- often gradual -- of physical strength, balance and mental acuity mean that living can become more difficult.

TWenty-five years ago, a loss of faculties forced most aging people to choose between two extremes-- staying at home alone (or with family) as long as possible, or going into a nursing home.

Nursing homes are ideal for people with advanced illnesses or debilitating mental degradation. However, many seniors simply don't need the intrusive care that traditional nursing homes offer. They are quite capable of being self-sufficient and independent, needing only minor assistance to accomplish the daily tasks of living.

Sending someone to the restrictive environment of a nursing home to compensate for the simple need for help with bathing or dressing each day is equivalent to putting them in a body cast to fix a sprained thumb.

Fortunately, over the past two decades, assisted living facilities have appeared, offering a welcome alternative in senior living. Assisted living facilities help to bridge the enormous gap between completely independent living and nursing home care, by offering residents freedom...