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Let's be honest: in modern U.S. culture, we don't necessarily respect old age. I mean, yes—we visit grandma. But how many people do you know whose grandparents (or parents), once they hit a certain age, are sent to assisted living centers? Granted, everyone's trying to get by, make their money, put food on their kids' tables, but it seems like nursing homes are the most common answer to "what should I do with my aging parents?" —at least for those who can afford it. But it doesn't have to be; there is a way for your aging loved ones to stay safe and independent in their own home, as they age.
According to Adelaide Altman, author of ElderHouse: Staying Safe and Independent in Your Own Home As You Age:
Science has shown that successful aging depends on good lifetime habits; to a lesser extent, good genes; and, to an increasingly greater extent, an environment favorable to your physical and emotional selves. Your own home is of primary importance, and deserves more than a random pile of mental promissory notes: you will fix those steps...you will do something about that kitchen...you will install a grab bar in the bathtub. Prepare now for future safety, accessibility, and comfort, for yourself and those who matter to you. And do it now.
Someone in their 60s recently said to me: "I don't want it to get to the point of being too late." According to her, one never knows what can happen. Instead of waiting for her health to deteriorate, or for a fall to disable her, she's taking her life into her own hands. She's considering ways to downsize her house, and make more manageable her possessions and responsibilities, so that her kids are not the bearers of her burdens. But they're not about to put her in a home—one, because they can't afford the expense, and two because she's a free-spirited woman who loves life, and values her independence. For as long as possible, she's going to do it on her own.
The problem is that, dear as they may be, most of our homes have not "aged" with us, and remain designed for who we were?a society that was conditioned to expect age-related maladies to besiege us?rather than for the healthier, longer-lived folks we are becoming. But an outgrown house does not necessitate moving away. Not at all. It is possible to prepare your home for a lifetime of comfort and convenience, right where you are. Modification of some design aspects of your home will increase its comfort and prevent accidents for elders-and for everyone else. While this has always been the case, it's more important and feasible now that we are living longer than ever before in history.
America's over-sixty population is expected to more than double in the foreseeable future. And an estimated 83 percent of older Americans want to continue to live where they celebrated their sixty-fifth birthday- independently, on their own terms, at home-reports a recent survey by the National Institute on Aging. That probability grows stronger every day. Old is not old anymore!
Retrofitting
According to Altman, falls are the leading cause of death and injuries to elders. But most are preventable, if the right precautions are taken. This means rearranging the furniture, adjusting lighting to help with poorer vision, and in certain cases, re-designing active home areas. There are ways to convert a home, in other words, that may cost less than a nursing home, which facilitate a more empowering living space. This is called retrofitting.
Retrofitting a home may not seem much fun at first, but accidents and nursing homes are far worse. It is crucial to re-evaluate your homes in the light of present and near-future needs, to remove the accident-causing obstacles and inaccessibility, the "obstacle courses and booby traps," so prevalent in today's homes. To clear the national landscape of such impediments, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), was enacted into law in 1990. It mandates that companies provide spaces for elder citizens and folks with disabilities. The ADA requirements are finely tuned, and all must follow them or face the threat of U.S. Justice Department sanctions. Where applicable, this book has adapted ADA rulings to augment information directed to the physically challenged.
However, much can be accomplished to alter the physical qualities of your home without following to the letter the rigid ADA restrictions, originally created for disabled citizens in the public provenance. Often, too, your renovations need not cost very much money. What follows will help you to understand your options. While you may need to consider many factors, such as aesthetics, cost, gender, cultural appropriateness, and ecological impact, ultimately no one but you can determine what you need in your home, and which tools and amenities are worthy of your time, energy, and money.
How to Retrofit Your Home
You'll need to consider how to practically prevent accidents, ensure comfort, and facilitate an independent lifestyle for your elder. It has the potential to be an exciting renovation! There are basic design elements to maximize one's abilities, not disabilities. First, you'll want to take a look at your (or your loved one's) home, to brainstorm. Places to consider in terms of safety:
1. driveways
2. walkways
3. doors and entrances
4. door hardware (handles), wheelchair access compatibility
5. entrance lighting and doorbells
6. ramps and railings
7. garages
8. kitchen (cabinets
9. are they reachable from a wheelchair? what's the flooring made of? how high is the fridge?)
10. bathrooms (shower safety, lighting, storage)
Altman says:
Good design can extend the life of your home, where you can live for a very long time, even a lifetime. In addition to providing safety, accessibility, and comfort, you can install systems in your home that work in concert with nature, not against it, protecting Earth's bounty, not wantonly destroying it. Sustainable or ecological living has many aspects...a downsized home, for example would be your first major step; the smaller the house, the smaller its ecological impact (referred to as its footprint) on the planet in every respect. There are numerous ecologically friendly measures to consider: passive solar designs for heating and cooling systems, for example, conserve energy, and are, in fact, far more economical over time than conventional methods. Passive solar systems also can be incorporated by retrofitting and remodeling already existing homes. The truth is, the more fossil fuel you burn, the more you pollute.
Other sustainable living issues include adequate and appropriately positioned daylighting (doors, windows, and skylights) to provide natural, cheerful, interior lighting while reducing electrical demand-sunlight is one of "the best things in life (that) are free." Another consideration is adequate sealing of your home to keep out the elements, and proper insulation to retain or deflect interior warmth and cooling. You might also want to consider financial and ecological burdens of nonrenewable materials and the energy consumed in manufacturing and transporting them. Water usage, alternate means of construction, the toxic properties of many products inside your home, and other "green" issues conducive to independent, sustainable living are too numerous to cover here.
It's never too early to start.
