AGING IN PLACE
A few simple modifications can keep you in your home
Fourteentake control years of ago his Barry future. Zuckerman♦ Then 65, decidedhe lookedto ahead and saw two possible paths. One was remaining as independent as possible while living in his own home in a neighborhood he loved; the other was leaving it to chance and perhaps winding up in assisted living or a nursing home. ♦ “So I decided to build a house that would accommodate my needs going forward,” he says. “I was much more spry then than I am now, but I’m still here and because of this house I plan to stay for a long time.”
Almost 90% of Americans older than 65 say they want to remain in their home for as long as possible, according to findings by the AARP Public Policy Institute. Some 80% of them say their current residence is where they will always live. But most aren’t planning ahead so that can happen, even though updating a house to accommodate aging in place can be a fairly routine process.
Rodney Harrell, a housing expert who works with AARP, explains that of the 100 million homes in U.S. cities, suburbs and rural areas, only about 1% are conducive to aging in place.
“The housing stock right now is not meeting people’s needs,” says Harrell in an article for NextAvenue.org, a journalism service for America’s older population. So it stands to reason that work must be done so that residences can serve the increasing older population.
Aging in place is defined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as “the ability to live in one’s own home and community safely, independently, and comfortably, regardless of age.” It’s a popular topic today as the nation’s 75 million baby boomers make decisions about what’s ahead for them. The Social Security Administration estimates that about 10,000 baby boomers retire every day. Whether they stay in their homes or plan a move, how they live will be as important as where they live.
“Aging in place is not a new concept, it’s just becoming more relevant as baby boomers age,” says Dale Streitenberger, the architect who designed Zuckerman’s house on an infill lot on a quiet street in Fox Point.
Streitenberger, of D.S. Design Services in Elm Grove, explains that aging in place falls under the wider concept of universal design, which is the design of products and environments so that they can be used by the widest range of people possible.
“I’m pretty passionate about universal design and aging in place because it’s our future,” he says. “I impress upon clients that you’re never too young to think about these things. You don’t want to have to do things under pressure when a crisis happens and you can’t come home until changes are made. You want to have them already in place.”
David Pekel, CEO of Pekel Construction and Remodeling in Wauwatosa, is a Certified Aging in Place Specialist who helps clients look at the big picture.
“Aging is universal, but how you age is exclusive to an individual’s own situation,” he says. “We are talking about the last third of a person’s life, and I truly believe aging in place deserves a lot of consideration as a way of enhancing that life.”
But it’s not exclusively about aging. Incorporating aging-in-place design principles can be helpful in a variety of situations, from taking an aging parent into your home to caring for a child with physical disabilities to getting around more easily after knee or hip replacement surgery (which are done at a combined rate of almost 1 million a year).
At what point should architects and/or builders and their clients address the topic of aging?
“It should be part of every building, remodeling or repurposing conversation — in a sensitive way,” Pekel says. “The modifications are less expensive when planned ahead and built into a remodeling plan rather than after the fact. In a way it’s like insurance: better to have made the modifications and not need them than to need them and not have them.”
What are some of those modifications? Let’s start with the aging-in-place details specified by Streitenberger for Zuckerman’s house. Others can be found in a separate list accompanying this story.
Floor plan with bedroom and bathroom on the main level. In Zuckerman’s case, his ranch home has the entire living space on one level.
Shower with a hand-held shower head, grab bars and a built-in seat. Tub with grab bars on both sides. Toilets that are 17 to 19 inches tall, making them compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act standards, with grab bars on both sides.
Lever door handles instead of knobs.
Wider doorways and hallways that accommodate a wheelchair or walker if needed.
Railings at all of the entrances and exits.
Plenty of windows and natural light to aid vision.
Railing on each side of the stairway that leads to the basement.
Zero-step entryways to room (no thresholds).
Smooth, durable flooring such as wood or tile.
“In Barry’s home, everything radiates from the central living space — his office, the kitchen, the master bedroom. And most of the features that allow him to age in place are barely perceptible,” says Streitenberger.
Pekel says the success of a project can be gauged in part by its subtlety. “Enhanced lighting, wider doorways, nonslip floors, thresholds that are flush with the floor — these are basic changes that are virtually inconspicuous,” he says.
Unlike Zuckerman, most people can’t or choose not to build a new residence to meet their future needs. Most have to adapt their existing space.
“If you live in a two-story house, you might have to figure out a way to bring a bedroom and full bath to the first floor,” Pekel says. “That could mean adding on to the home or converting a less-used room like the dining room into a bedroom, and adding a shower to an existing first-floor powder room.”
As for the cost, the building industry is offering a wide array of aging-in-place products at a range of price points. Grab bars, for example, come in many finishes and styles that no longer look institutional and that are available at very reasonable prices. Some shower inserts now come with benches. Pull-out shelving and drawers are widely available for lower kitchen cabinets.
“And any way you look at it, the dollars and cents of making aging-in-place modifications are far less than the managed-care alternatives,” says Pekel. “You’re looking at $45,000 to $68,000 a year for assisted living and what if you have 10 or 15 years ahead of you?
“Plus the loss of quality of life is immeasurable.”
When it comes time for your house to be put on the market, the aging-in-place adaptations actually can add value.
“The changes can expand the usability of the home and help it appeal to a wider audience or buyer,” Pekel says.
Zuckerman, whose career involved working with affordable housing primarily for elderly clients, agrees that his house is more marketable because of the aging-in-place features.
He also says his house enhances his life.
“Entering and exiting, bathing, doing the laundry, even opening the doors — it’s all easy with this house and it allows me to live life on my terms,” he says. “You don’t want to give up your house unless you have to, and I don’t think I will have to.
“I have all sorts of issues — COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), hearing aids, some spine problems, swelling in my ankles — but even if I need a wheelchair down the road, this house will accommodate it.”
He continues to live near family and friends in a community he enjoys, surrounded by his art collection in a comfortable and familiar environment.
“I may have all sorts of health issues,” he says. “And yet I can get up each morning in my own home, make the most wonderful coffee, see the light streaming through the kitchen window and begin my day.
“I am incredibly lucky.”