Aging in place improves quality of life by making it possible for people to remain in their own homes longer, even if they are wheelchair bound or receiving home care. This benefit is enabled by a care-free home, universally designed for people of diverse life-stages and physical capacities. Strategies implementing this goal this is include: low maintenance, multi-generational, universal design, universal access, and roll-in shower.
Easy home maintenance is a plus for seniors who wish to remain in their own homes. Outdoor features which make a house easy to maintain include using low-water plants, native plants, slow growing grasses, and minimal lot sizes. Also helpful are no- or low-maintenance exterior finishes such as vinyl siding and tile roofing. Indoor features include a central vacuum, and easy-to-clean surfaces like hardwood floors.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) analyzed costs of home maintenance. They discovered many cost-effective ways to reduce the costs of home repair. The fundamentals are appropriate design for climate, durable materials, and proper construction techniques.
Their findings are summarized in the HUD guidebook, “Durability by Design, May 2002. This work can be downloaded at www.huduser.org/publications/ destech/durdesign.html.
More and more families are living like their ancestors lived– in multi-generational homes. There are many reasons for this retro-trend. But topping the list are economic hard times and the need for caregivers. Wage earners with kids value their parents as baby sitters. Seniors need the companionship and health care that their children can provide. Many recent college graduates burdened by college loans and unemployed youngsters find living at home an economic necessity.
Converting a conventional home to a multi-generational home may involve universal design features that promote safe, comfortable living. In addition, space planning is critical. Older seniors living with their children want to have their space and feel that they are not imposing. For example home could be remodeled to incorporate two master suites with access to laundry room through a walk-in closet. Another idea is a three-car garage because people have lots of stuff. And then there is the legendary mother-in-law apartment.
Along with shared space in the house, multi-¬generational home dwellers want a shared community, too. They value the common spaces with neighbors, where not only their parents can find socializing opportunities, but they can as well. Neighborhoods with walking access to the post office, shops and coffee houses exemplify this trend.
Universal design is the design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design. It enables a measure of personal independence when a person uses a wheelchair or walker, ands can minimize the need for hospital or convalescent home stays. Universal design ensures that residents will be able to get around the house and yard, and safely use all rooms, especially the kitchen and bathroom.
A 3,500 square foot Columbus, Ohio home built to demonstrate universal design principles http://www.udll.com/the-home/ has the following features:
• Step-free entrance (a gradual, level grade; no conspicuous ramps)
• All doors without thresholds that are wide enough for a wheelchair or walker (36”)
• Wider hallways (46 “)
• Lever handles on doors and faucets
• Various heights of kitchen counters
• Full extension drawers and shelves in kitchen base cabinets
• Cooktop set into a counter with open knee space
• Side hinged microwave and oven doors at countertop height
• Side by side refrigerator
• Casement windows
• An elevator to the basement
• Lower rocker style light switches (36” above the floor)
• Higher electrical outlets (25” above the floor)
• Large bathroom with decorative grab bars
• Wood, non-slip tile and a dense weave, low pile (< ½”) carpet floors
• Large bathtubs with plenty of grab bars
• Curbless roll in showers with plenty of grab bars
• Slide bar for shower head
• Hand-held, flexible shower fixture
• 17-19” high toilet seats
• Adjustable hanging closet rods and shelves
• Front loading washer and dryer
• Open knee space under all sinks
A roll-in shower enables a person to bathe in a specially designed wheelchair called a “shower chair.” To make this possible the shower has to be carefully designed.
There should be enough room for the shower chair and a bathing assistant to maneuver. The entry to the shower needs to be curbless. The smallest curb can be a large obstacle for a shower chair. Controls should be accessible from the shower chair.
The shower needs to be able to contain water without a curb. Shower walls or curtains can help contain shower spray. The shower spray should be directed away from the opening of the shower. A modest incline, of ¼ inch per foot toward the shower drain, can provide drainage. Since a curbless drainage system is not failsafe, it is a good idea to install a water-proof and skid-proof bathroom door.
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