Aging
in place is about more than just putting up a grab bar
by Caitlin Kelly | June 27, 2019
The word is so taboo
many interior designers avoid even using it when working with clients.
“I don’t ever
use the word ‘aging’,” says Cleveland,
Ohio-based designer Laura Minieff. “I don’t have it in my
vocabulary.”
Yet, as baby boomers
edge into older age, and many are already helping their parents stay in their
homes as long as possible, the popularity of this phrase is growing: “aging in
place.’’
A design solution
formerly more focused on in-home design changes—like adding grab bars in the
bathroom or lowering kitchen counters—is now expanding. These days, “aging in
place” also incorporates new technology, rebooted urban design and a strong
focus on staying connected to family, friends and caregivers.
According to a 2018 survey by AARP, three-quarters of Americans
over 50 want to remain in their homes rather than move into an institutional
setting like a nursing home or other facility.
That “aha” moment
when we realize we need help can hit much sooner than expected.
Realizing it’s time
“I get calls every
day” from potential clients who need to reconfigure their current home to
accommodate changing needs, whether those are temporary or permanent, says
Minieff.
“It
is a very, very honest conversation. You have to do it with compassion.”
Laura
Minieff, Designer
Typically, it’s
spurred by what she calls “a catalytic event,” perhaps a stroke or a car
accident with its accompanying rehabilitation, or the sudden departure of a
spouse or children leaving the nest.
Even retirement, as
residents spend a lot more time in their homes, can bring fresh eyes and
insights to a familiar space, she says.
Once clients realize
changes are needed, “it is a very, very honest conversation,” she adds. “You do
have to do it with compassion.”
What changes
Some standard
adaptive changes include entryways to the home with no stairs or steps, showers
without a curb or no door, widened doorways to accommodate a wheelchair or
walker and floors free of rugs that can invite a slip and dangerous fall.
The conversation,
like that with any designer or architect, begins with a frank discussion about
daily life in the home—Does it include adult children, possibly with their own
special needs? Grandchildren? Pets? A work area?
For Katrina VanHuss,
a fundraising consultant in Mechanicsville, Va., the conversation about making
her home as safe and comfortable for aging in place was already familiar—thanks
to caring for her 27-year-old daughter who has Down Syndrome and who lives at
home.
The
conversation, like that with any designer or architect, begins with a frank
discussion about daily life in the home.
“I knew what I wanted
because my daughter has low tone [diminished physical strength] and
difficulties with vision and hearing,’’ she says. “You need grab bars
everywhere. Living with her has taught me a lot.”
Her mother, now 77,
is also likely to move into their house, so VanHuss and her husband have
invested significantly to be ready for her as well as housing a caregiver when
she and her husband need one.
To improve their
vision, they added lots of light: can lights in the ceilings in the kitchen and
spotlights in the kitchen. They also use at least three lamps controlled by a
smart speaker in every room.
“When we were deciding
what to do, I asked ‘What’s going to make us happy?'”
Katrina
VanHuss, Renovated
her home to age in place
The decision to stay
in their 2,200-square foot house, built in 1972, was easy, she says, thanks to
its two-acre lot, a neighborhood they love and a lake.
“We use Echo and
Alexa everywhere and they’re really helpful to turn lights on before you enter
a room,” she says
“I can watch
eagles hunting,” she says. “When we were deciding what do to, I asked ‘ What’s
going to make us happy?’”
It has come, she
admits, at a very high cost—almost the current value of their home—with a $270,000
addition.
“I plan to die
there,” she says.
More than a grab bar
Staying safely and
comfortably in one’s home, whether an apartment or house, isn’t just a matter
of adding new features or subtracting others, argues John Wetmore, an activist
for pedestrian safety.
“It’s not just the
building itself,” he says. “Is it accessible? Are there sidewalks?”
The streets we rely on
daily can ease our odds of aging in place or present a dangerous, slippery set
of obstacles, he says.
The
streets we rely on daily can ease our odds of aging in place or present a
dangerous, slippery set of obstacles.
In his suburban
county outside D.C., a nearby muddy path led to the nearest bus stop,
imperiling anyone with mobility challenges. It took years of complaining to
local authorities, but the path is now paved, Wetmore said.
When many suburbs
were built in the 1960s and 1970s, “sidewalks were considered old-fashioned,
but all of a sudden these suburbs are a tough place to retire in,” he says.
“We’re just now the
generation getting to the point where we don’t drive any more and it will
become more and more of a problem,” says Wetmore, now 61.
“What happens if I’m
frail with a walker or a cane or a wheelchair?’’ he asks. “You need to take a
good look at these neighborhoods.”
The generational
shift
Aging in place will
soon mean much more than making architectural and urban design changes, predicts
Drew Miller,
executive director of design at frogHealth, a division of frog, a global design and strategy
consultancy working in the U.S., Europe and Asia.
“We’re seeing a
massive generational shift,” he says. “Our generation has gone through a significant
caregiving experience with their own parents.”
“Our generation has
gone through a significant caregiving experience with their own parents.”
Drew Miller
Executive director of
design, frogHealth
Previous generations
didn’t live as long, with many now surviving into their mid to late 90s,
spurring those now in their 50s and 60s to be “pro-active and planning.”
“They want to get out
ahead of these issues because when you’ve seen it happen to your parents you
see your future and that’s an impetus to action,” Miller says.
So staffers in
Miller’s Austin, TX office collaborated with their peers in San Francisco, New
York and Shanghai, realizing that “aging in place” happens in three distinct
stages as people move from being “independents” to “transitioners” to
“strugglers.”
“There’s a
progression,” says Miller. “Think of this as a journey you go through many
times. You may notice something is physically different or an event triggers
that recognition. That, in turn, produces negative feelings as you adjust to
the ‘new normal.’”
Those aging in place
need additional levels of support: financially, cognitively, physically and
emotionally, Miller adds. “We talked to seniors, adult caregivers, spouse
caregivers and senior living specialists,” he says. “This allowed us to see the
different approaches people took.”
Facing the future
Key to success will
be new uses of current technology, he says. While Alexa and Echo and their
cohort are familiar, there is also a need for tech that initiates contact,to
help potentially isolated seniors stay safe and in touch with their families,
friends and healthcare providers.
“These are the
seasons of life, fighting them is counter-productive.”
Katrina VanHuss
Renovated her home to
age in place
LifePod, a virtual caregiver or
companion, is completely voice-controlled and can ask a senior
living alone if she’s taken her medication or spoken to a friend that
day.
The real challenge,
experts agree, is facing the future and getting our homes, hearts and heads
ready for it.
“It’s huge!” says
Miller. “This ability to engage directly and to send notifications and regular
reports is probably the most exciting solution I’ve seen for home healthcare.”
“These are the
seasons of life,” says VanHuss. “Fighting them is counter-productive.”
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