AGE-AT-HOME
Is it time for you to consider your future?
                      ….And what does “Age-At-Home really mean?

                     Is it “grab-bars” and lever door handles??
                     Is it “that is something for wheel chair people?           

How about: walkways and entries; wall plugs & light switches  – adequate lighting;  narrow hallways;    slippery floors; bath tubs and toilets; awareness indicators for phones and smoke detectors; maintenance free exteriors and landscaping, just to mention a few.

 All of these are COMPONENTS of Age-At- Home; but, Age-At-home, in it’s full definition,  is a life-style, how you use your home, design concept vs. structural design; how your home looks: its shape & style; parts & pieces.

To help you understand this life-style design direction, need to start with some history of housing’s structural & component “standards” and why they evolved as they have.

Then we’ll introduce things you can do to change this “established” thinking so you can gain greater benefits from your home.

HISTORICALLY home design and construction has focused on what I call “creature-cover” at one end of the spectrum  to “conspicuous consumption at the other…of any type of architectural design.  But they all have one thing in common…..

Very little, if any, attention has been directed to the “function” of  HOW people live and  interact within their homes.

This direction is largely a result of the “Levittown”movement of the late 1940s into the 1950s where residential design ideas were simply focused on providing housing for young adults and young families.

SIGNIFICANCE OF LEVITTOWN
Why mention it here?
Follow along!!

Levittowntown is without doubt the most significant transition in housing since it went from log cabins to frame construction.  It established “standards” that are still in effect today.

Prior to Levittown, home designs were by and large governed by the “Victorian Style” w/wo the “ginger-bread.  High ceilings; big  windows; huge, tall, wide doors, etc. were the norm. All-be-it  so were big multi-entry steps. Levittown change all that.

Levittown came about basically as an answer to the need for returning GIs/families to find housing.  This need was created due to the significant shortage of building material during the war and the virtual cessation of home building.  It was driven by government backed GI housing for low-mortgage allowance funding.

Abraham Levitt and his two sons, who had “dabbled” in real estate development, decided to address this target.  But to do so, they realized that significant construction cost adjustments had to be made.

Principally:
Elimination of basements to slab-on-grade (sound familiar)
Reduction in ceiling height, est. at 8 feet.
Reduction in sizes of windows & doors.

As the housing was to be industrialized by mass production to avoid the high cost of union labor, other things had to be “standardized” i.e.; the placement of wall plugs and switches, door sizes, room layouts.  Note: Levittown’s success was also the change factor from union to non-union residential work which continues today.

Why mention Levittown here…..

Out of Levittown’s success came a proliferation of new “building standards”   …..the “copy what’s hot” syndrome.  Design schools promoted these ideas.   Text books were put forth documenting “design guidelines” Over time these :standards” became accepted as “convention”. This was the way things were done….but they are not.

There is NO building code that says your home has to be configured in such-and-such way.  There is NO set arrangement of the rooms.  I mention this here because some building plan checkers/inspectors think there is. (Too many contractors think so too).

Now you know the history…..now you can set them straight!!
Electrical plugs do not have to be 12” off the floor.
Switches do not have to be set at 48”.
Doorways do not have to be 2’-6” wide.
Bathroom doors do not have to be 2’-0”.
Doorways do not have to have thresholds.
Cabinets do not have to be a certain height,
nor in a particular location.
Neither do appliances.       

You can have your home virtually any way you want/need it to be.

Some specific examples:
Cabinets, vanities, counter tops should be set at heights most convenient for their use. Use roll-out platforms in cabinet bases vs. step-stools. Wall cabinets do not have to be high-up on the wall nor at 18” above the counter. In some areas wall units can be set right on the counter &/or placed in floor-up banks of units. Dishwashers and ovens need not be on the floor.  Set these also at heights convenient for their use.

An Additional FYI:

Of specific note with Levittown:  the establishment of track building and the track home “boxes little boxes all in a row” as the saying became!!! That we still see today.        

This “standards” direction in housing has changed very little since. Think about the  houses being built today, still designers/builders have not given serious consideration to such essentials as: safety, mobility, functionality, adaptability, and given virtually no consideration to “ageing-related situations.

What is the “buzz-word” today, the “latest fad/trend”……
Building Green, isn’t it…..not all-inclusive use design.
You can help change the direction to homes being more user-friendly.

Historically:
It was not until the mid 80s/90s that attention even began to be given to any of these essentials; and that was mainly directed to “accessibility”; barrier free” issues dealing with the disadvantages of wheel chair people as related to business and retail facilities concerning employment limitations.  It may seem that these concerns have been around forever; but, the Americans with Disabilities Act was instituted in 1990.

Any focus on residential considerations didn’t really begin until  1997….. Not that long ago!!!!

UNIVERSAL DESIGN

Have you heard of the term “Universal Design”,   The term was coined in 1989, by architect Ronald Mace from North Carolina. He used a wheel chair most of his life as a result of having polio. Mr. Mace was upset over the difficulty he had of just trying to get around to do “normal daily activity stuff.  He had the audacity to question “WHY?” were things as they were.  How dare he!!! Things are as they are, that’s why.  He questioned why there could not be a “universe” where people with and without disabilities, of different abilities, different heights, of any age, could share their lives.

Then he set out to do something about it.  He founded the Center for for Universal Design at North Carolina State University which focused on this mission.  In 1997, the Center convened a study to develop “The Principles of Universal Design”.

All thou slow to gain momentum, in the remaining 90s, into the first part of the 2000s, some designers/sales people began heavily promoting some of these principles relating to kitchens and baths as if they had just redeveloped the “wheel”.  No doubt some of the people were serious in their endeavors. Unfortunately, the resulting “marketing” seemed to make these principles appear as “the latest trend/fad” instead of an enduring design approach.  Their approach also tended to narrow the focus from universal design to a synonym for “wheel chair accessibility”. Good kitchen/bath design is much more than just that.

A brief sampling of some of the Universal Design principles that relate to homes include:
Placing hand rails at entry steps
Elimination of walkway steps by contouring
Where steps are necessary, space in groups wide apart
Yes, those grab bars & lever handle faucets & door knobs
Sufficient additional space between cabinets
Furniture arrangement
Hand rails on both sides of stairs
Touch switches vs. toggle switches
Motion-sensor ambient lighting
Chairs w/large armrests for mobility assistance

Unfortunately, these “principles” still today serve only as “suggestions”. Nothing has been design application established; nothing is code-established to residential construction.    

            .
ASK “WHY”

When giving consideration to making your home more “universal” to aide your living out your years in your current home, and to the fullest extent possible…… do as Mr. Mace did………….ask “WHY”

WHY does my home seem not to function very well for us. Remember;  NOTHING says it must be this way….. What can we do, how can we have our home the way we need it???

Our Age-at-home’s
direction is to do exactly that;…work with you on the “whys” Our age-at-home experts’ mission is to inform you, through your own specific life-style, on current and life-long benefits that can be obtained and how usage adaptability can be achieved.

Thereby, people can live safely, comfortably, and most importantly: independently.  We can also provide the means to facilitate doing so.
.

We meet with you in your home to discuss your needs/desires, and issues. We conduct an audit/survey of your existing conditions and propose solutions.  Our guiding premise is to enable you to achieve these solutions in the most effective/ efficient and cost conscious manner.

PLUS, we commit to provide you with a home that continues to look like a home; not an institution.

A BRIEF, NOT ALL INCLUSIVE SAMPLING OF “ISSUES” WE ADDRESS

Ingress/egress: esp. steps and walkways
Low maintenance building exteriors & landscaping
Kitchen & bath capabilities/constraints
Ambient & task lighting & controls
Mobility: esp. hallways, doors & stairways
Slip & fall potentials: esp. slick flooring surfaces,
rugs and thresholds
Hearing & sight influences: i.e.; signaling phones &
smoke detectors
Communications:  outside home emergency contacts
More user-friendly products & furnishings; esp. chairs
Care-giver & medical concerns

What about the grand kids…how do they/you function together? Are there thoughts/plans of extended family situations?

GETTING ON WITH IT

This web page is directed to all ages:  young adults who’s parents may be considering alternative;  Boomers who are planning their future; Seniors who now need to make decisions. All who desire to live out their years in their current home.

It’s purpose is to provide information and guidance to your decision-making.  On-going input, considerations are presented on our
Blog: http://age-at-home.blogspot.com  our Age-At-Home Journal. Follow along there to be informed, stay informed.

These “basics” presented herein are germane to everyone.  However, we understand that exact needs do differ and should be addressed in your individual context.  Therefore, we are happy to meet with you for a no-cost initial consultation to help you develop a program.

                        CALL US!!!    
San Gabriel Valley  . . . . . . . . . . 626-691-0135
Orange County       . . . . . . . . . .  714-731-3567

Member National Aging in Place Council