Three doors down from their current home,John and Jane Doe are building a new house they hope will be their last. The one they live in now has many stairs and an elevated living room that already pose problems for many friends and visitors. The Does aren’t ready to retire,but down the road,they don’t want to be forced out the door due to accessibility issues.
The answer? Universal Design;a house that meets current needs but also grows with its occupants and their future needs —also referred to as “Aging in Place.” With aging-friendly features such as,wide hallways,wheelchair accessible showers,stacked closets that can transform into a future elevator shaft,door hardware,which is easily graspable;the number of items on the list is in the hundreds. Needless to say,Universal Design and “Aging in Place” principles are certainly attracting attention.
Experts are predicting an avalanche of need for housing of this type with the retirement of the baby boomers. The boomers aren’t there yet,but a recent U.S. survey suggests that people over 65 see a long-term care facility as a fate worse than death. Universal design could allow boomers and their parents to “age in place”in their own homes,as well as alleviating the strain on long-term care facilities struggling with a ballooning senior population.
So what is Universal Design? In simple terms it all relates to accessibility,safety and ease of use for people with disabilities due to injury,aging or conditions due to deteriorating health. Most visible in our society is wheelchair access but it goes beyond that,for sure. We will look more at the details of Universal Design and Aging in Place principles in the next couple of issues of this newsletter.
You may ask;should I be incorporating Universal Design in my new home or remodeling project? The answer is a resounding Yes! No one can predict whether you or a loved one will have disabilities in the future but for the relatively small effort and modest extra cost involved,it makes good sense. Also remember that,more than likely,you already have guests in your home with these needs and also don’t overlook the positive effect it will have on resale value in the future.
In the next issue,we will take a closer look at what the first step in Universal Design looks like.
