Here comes the bandwagon

It's been a very busy summer for us at In Your Home and I haven't posted for awhile. Lots of new customers, we've grown our crew, business is about double last year. While we like to believe this has a lot to do with how we run our business, it is partly a reflection of the growing demand for services to support folks choosing to "age in place."

This growing demand for services has been noted in a variety of recent industry reports and news stories. Combined with the slump in new home construction, lots of people are targeting residential remodeling and especially "aging in place" as a more robust segment of the housing market. All the attention is good because it will hopefully lead not only to better solutions but greater awareness and willingness throughout the population of how modifications can improve our lives as we age. But there is also a big risk in this goldrush mentality. Here are a few examples:

• Untested products. Over the summer we discovered a new walk-in tub that had some nice features making it a great solution for a particular client. It was offered by a reputable company so we decided to give it a try. A week after the order was scheduled to ship, we were informed that something had gone wrong with the manufacturer relationship and the product could not be delivered as promised. We had to go to plan B, delaying the project for nearly a month, an inconvenience for our customer. But at least it was discovered before we had a situation with a faulty product. As more and more people target these sorts of solutions, we are likely to have many products that do not work or can't be delivered as advertised--experience and the remodeler's willingness to stand behind the work will be very important.
• Supportive business practices. It's one thing to know how to replace a tub with a shower, it is another to have the work practices that protect the customer in other ways. For example, we currently have two customers experiencing the onset of Alzheimers. They have tried to hide our supplies and give away their belongings to our crew--things that we are accustomed to and have strict policies regarding. This is just one example where a true aging-in-place specialist will have the experience and work practices that meet the needs of this customer base, beyond basic remodeling skills.
• Real Focus. It is increasingly easy for remodelers to say they do aging-in-place projects, but how many do they really do? I've spoken with CAPS designees who admit that aging-in-place work is only a small percentage of the work they do. Admittedly, we are doing more and more projects that are outside the aging-in-place marketspace--family members who want us to do work on their home, referrals from Angies List just looking for someone they can trust, etc. But our focus and the core of our business is on the senior population and it creates a very different reality for our team than for someone who doesn't focus there.
• Informed solutions. Not focusing on this market space can also impact the quality of the solution--we sell as many or more aluminum ramps as we build wood ones because in many cases they are the better solution. One of our customers couldn't find a contractor who knew anything about accessible shower pans--they had designed a ground floor bathroom and living space with the idea that it would be accessible for visiting relatives, but everyone they dealt with kept trying to install a traditional shower pan because that is all they knew. A true specialist can address the full range of solutions and won't force fit inadequate ones.

These are a few examples that underscore the need to people to be aware of what it really takes to be a viable resource for senior homeowners.

Beware the easy fix for increased lighting

One of the common issues we experience as we age is that we need more light to see clearly--especially the print of important things like medicine bottles, food packages, and, in my case, the daily crossword puzzle. The best way to get this additional lighting varies by what we need it for and by the condition of our eyes. But one solution that is never a good one is to shove higher wattage bulbs into fixtures that are not rated for them. Doing this can cause burns and fires.

I say this and many people scoff--what can be the harm of a brighter light bulb? Mountain out of a mole hill, they say. Well, witness this customer we helped out last week who called to have some water damage around a light fixture repaired. When our handyman got there, he found not water damage but heat damage. The owner had installed 100 watt bulbs in a closed fixture rated for 60 watt bulbs. Not only was the ceiling scorched and discolored, but the plastic junction box and wires were "crispy." The potential for a fire was very real.

Just a reminder that if more light is in your future, upgrade your fixtures to handle it. Also, consider putting them on dimmers so that you don't waste the wattage when you don't need it.

Study reinforces the value of home modifications

I came across this data at Cynthia Lebrock's website. Cynthia does us all the favor of reviewing a lot of academic articles and providing a synopsis of the findings. The data came from a longitudinal (meaning data collected and tracked over a period of time) study by the university of Michigan. Researcher Kyung Sook June showed that while disabilities increased the likelihood that the person will relocate into an institutional setting, the presence of basic home modifications like shower bars, ramps, lifts, etc. decreased that likelihood. Interestingly, the presence of a caregiver did not decrease the likelihood of relocation to an institutional setting. Since this data set was collected a decade ago, a reasonable hypothesis would be that improved product and design solutions and increased acceptance of home modifications would make these findings all the more true today.

Temporary solutions can help caregivers

When I did my bathroom options post awhile back, I didn't include a practical option for shorter term needs. We frequently get calls from families providing care for a loved one who, realistically, is in the final stages of being in the family residence or nearing the end of their life. A full bathroom remodel may not be needed or would create too much disruption. There are portable and temporary shower units available that can make life easier for a family in this situation or for someone who is recuperating from an injury or illness and needs a shorter term solution.

I've used portable showers out camping, but those aren't a solution in the home. But there are new solutions being designed that can make it practical.

FAWSsit is folding shower with an electric pump that can be set up in a room where there is sufficient space and an available source of heated water and a drain (sink, toilet, floor drain, etc) Laundry rooms and kitchens are obvious options. Since it can easily be folded and stored away, you don't need a dedicated space, making it possible to provide a shower to someone with greater ease and less stress on everyone. www.fawssit.com

Another resource is Shower Anywhere. These are more what I would call temporary rather than permanent shower solutions, so they require some dedicated space, but are an option when remodeling is not practical or in the long term interests of the homeowner.

Neither of these would be a great long term solution--having a home designed to have an accessible bath and bedroom on the ground floor is still the best precaution, but when that is not the case, a solution like these can certainly make life easier.

As we age one thing we can look forward to is more technology and non-traditional solutions like these to help us navigate this journey.

I've seen some interesting data lately about strength and safety in later life. One was this article about strength training--actually making muscles "younger."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070523/hl_nm/strength_training_dc_1

And there is this bit out of London saying that older adults are net contributors to society, not the drain they are commonly portrayed as:

The future ... is not penury or dependence," said Clive Bannister, managing director of HSBC Insurance, which asked the institute to conduct the study on the elderly so it could learn about consumer behavior. "They have become turbos rather than the brakes of our community."

Researchers interviewed more than 21,000 people between the ages of 40 and 79 in more than 20 countries for the largest study of its kind. The aim was to explore attitudes about retirement and the sunset years.

Contrary to the commonly held belief that older people are draining state resources, the study indicates they are more independent and active in social and economic life than previously thought. (http://www.denverpost.com/ci_5971357?source=rss)

These are just a few of the items that paint a much more positive picture of aging. But then today I see this from an AP story showing that falls and safety concerns for older adults are are the increase. And this story only deals the the injury and death rate--just as concerning is how expensive and life changing a non-fatal fall related injury is
(http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-accidental-deaths,1,3008203.story?coll=chi-news-hed):

The rate of deaths from falls for people 65 and older rose 31 percent from 1999 to 2003, the council reported, which means that deaths from falls are increasing faster than the older population is increasing. A death within one year after a fall can be attributed to the fall. "We tend to see our home as our safe haven. The data tell us it's not," McMillan said, adding that families can take steps to protect the elderly from falls by removing hazards and installing stair rails and grab bars.

Deaths from falls climbed from 16,257 in 2002 to 17,229 in 2003, the most recent year for which data are available. The rate also went up, from 5.6 deaths to 5.9 deaths per 100,000 people.

My thought. We always say staying fit is your best fall prevention strategy. No amount of adaptation will prevent a fall for someone who is frail. But since we have this potential to stay stronger, more active and vital, shouldn't we consider proactive modifications to our home that will improve safety, or allow easier rehabilitation at home should we be unlucky? Research has shown that those who benefit the most from supportive adaptations are those who are still relatively fit. And my designing our environment to support us more completely, we can ensure that the changes are pleasing, not ugly stop gaps, and keep home a place we love being. Proactively designing a home environment for our later years is one of the things we can do ensure we stay active, stimulated, safe and comfortable and make the most of a positive future. When you envision your future, re-envision your environment!