Ron SmithPublished on AIP - Aging-in-Place: What's It All About?
Aging-in-Place is a design and build philosophy that focuses on how to create a home environment that provides livability and independency for occupants regardless of their age or level of abilities. When applied correctly, Aging-in-Place principles allow an individual to remain in the home and neighborhood that they love and enjoy. Most importantly, Aging-in-Place supports the individual’s independence and self-worth.
Aging-in-Place design principles grew out of marketing assessments commissioned by national design and construction associations regarding the boomer segment of the population. The trade associations wanted to know the potential impact of the boomer generation on future housing requirements. These surveys were commissioned back in the mid 90’s when the first of the 76 million boomers were reaching their 50th birthdays. The surveys found that this segment of the population would be more active, more financially sound and better educated than previous generations. The American Association of Retired People (AARP) determined that 89% of this population would have a strong desire to stay in their own home as long as possible.
Boomers that were surveyed, also expressed a desire for high functionality and appearance for their houses. They saw themselves moving into the next stage of their lives with active lifestyles and new adventures. The reasons stated for remaining longer in their current homes centered around their desire to enjoy all the features, design, familiarity and location of their current home.
Interestingly enough, only 5-10 per cent of those surveyed indicated future concerns for possible physical limitations as they aged. Planners and engineers could envision such future scenarios, but the vast majority of boomers surveyed didn’t see a future trying to recover from knee or hip surgery. Negotiating narrow halls or through narrow doors with a walker or a wheelchair wasn’t in their vision. Climbing stairs with bad knees wasn’t a concern to them. They simply didn’t see the psychological impact of these physical limitations when they were accustomed to being fit, mobile, useful and independent.
As a response to these findings, some builders, architects and interior designers in various parts of the United States began to adapt their homes to meet the principles of Universal Design that were just emerging from various academic centers, such as, the University of North Carolina. Aging-in-Place, although very logical, became a difficult sale. There were various pockets of adoption across the country, but they were regionalized due to strong advocates in those areas. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) developed a certification program (CAPS) to educate builders on how to sell to seniors and what kind of products would be needed. Aging-in-Place was a common topic at annual industry conferences. Many books were written about universal design and Aging-in-Place. AARP advocated strongly for Aging-in-Place principles, developing excellent check lists to evaluate a home regarding barriers, safety and adaptations to support those going through the aging process. AARP’s current evaluation checklists are included in a publication called the AARP Home Fit Guide that includes checklists that address safety, comfort and livability. The Aging-in-Place label has evolved somewhat over the years to more inclusive designations, such as, Lifelong Homes, Age-Friendly Housing or livable communities.
Many builders, including some that construct 55+ communities, are still reluctant to provide the benefits and amenities developed through the universal design and Aging-in-Place movements. They say that if buyers ask for them, they will provide them. However, buyers remaining focused on an active adult lifestyle are not thinking that far down the road. By the time they start encountering actual barriers and limiting design, they are facing major remodeling costs. Often the major factors in these renovation costs are the need to widen doors and hallways, provide backing in the walls for handrails and increase built-in lighting. A major issue is an inadequate home footprint at the time the house was built. Finding the room to make these changes is often expensive. The sad part is that to provide a proper footprint and framing to support wider doors and halls along with backing boards and expanded lighting should only cost about 5 per cent more at the time of construction. Retrofit modifications may cost 3 to 4 times more and can be very difficult to blend in with the original design.
Seniors need to think in advance about the requirements that their home may need to support and be proactive when working with their builder. Forcing the builder to build an ADA compliant home is a good starting point. Certainly, being familiar with the design principles of a “Lifelong Home” before buying a home and working with the builder to incorporate those features is a great investment. A home that is properly designed will allow you to remain longer in your home potentially reducing the long-term care costs associated with assisted living facilities and nursing homes. Since many boomers are retiring with less than adequate retirement savings, reducing long-term care costs is a big factor.
So why should we Age-in-Place? What are the potential benefits? It costs less. A semi-private room in a nursing home may cost more than $96,000 a year. A year in an assisted living facility may cost over $48,000 a year. Staying at home, seniors can take advantage of Medicare assistance for in-home care. If needed, homemaker services can be paid for at much lower cost than in specialized facilities. Other services available through a local Agency on Aging or services, like, Meals on Wheels can help reduce support costs further while living at home.
It is more comfortable to Age in Place since there is no place like home. Aging-in-Place can slow the advancement of memory loss. Keeping your environment consistent along with your social connections is an important factor is addressing memory loss. Staying in place allows seniors to strengthen their social network by maintaining their current friends, by being able to take advantage of community resources, such as, community or senior centers, and by maintaining their regular social circles. Isolation is one of the great traumas of growing old. Finally, it helps seniors to be more independent and make their own decisions. Aging-in-Place may be the best way to support self-determination.
So, in addition to lobbying with your builder and being proactive about your long-term housing needs, what else can be done? In some areas, certification programs have been created to evaluate homes for their ability to support long-term senior needs. This type of certification can provide the buyer with a level of comfort when selecting their new home. For example, in Oregon a voluntary evaluation program, the Lifelong Housing Certification Program, provides a way to assess the “age-friendliness” and accessibility of both newly constructed and existing homes. The evaluation process was developed in conjunction with AARP Oregon and is appropriate to all types of housing – rental, new or existing houses. It provides three levels of Certification: Level 1 – Visitable; Level 2 – Fully Accessible; and Level 3 -Enhanced Accessibility. NOTE: Visitable homes make it easier for friends to visit your house because it will have a zero-step front door threshold, an accessible first floor bathroom and adequate clearance for wheelchairs and/or walkers to maneuver.
In some communities, zoning commissions have been active in providing approval for alternative housing options, such as Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs i.e., granny pods or MEDcottages), cohousing or group living units. In other cases, zoning commissions have encouraged builders to provide Aging-in-Place options for their new homes.55+ builders could be required to ensure that all homes will have an adequate footprint and framing to support Aging-in-Place features on all homes built. They could be required to provide “aging-in place” options for any buyer who desires to invest in them at the time of purchase. Sales staff consultants should be able to describe the benefits of selecting these options at the time of purchase.
Seniors need to become more responsible for their housing decisions as they approach retirement. Today, properly designed homes can look beautiful and still provide the ability to adapt to changing physical and health needs. They do not have to look institutional. For example, grab bars can be easily installed when you need them because the backing boards are already in place. Also, many Aging-in-Place features can be implemented without worrying about the built environment, for example, eliminating the sources of most falls. Falls are the leading cause of injury deaths and the most common cause of hospital admissions for trauma. Seniors should make themselves aware of the available options needed to provide for their own safety, comfort and livability as they grow older.
