The sheer enormity of the baby boomer generation was once a statistic that equated to buying power and influence, but as these individuals age, those millions are now also presenting a social resources conundrum.
With not enough caregivers or facilities available to handle the silver tsunami ahead, aging in place is starting to make more and more sense. But why isn't it as prevalent as perhaps it should be?
Karen Harris, architect and principal at Architecture Matters Inc., and Rehab Rizk, physical therapist and owner of FreeSpirit Rehab, discussed what's holding some back and why the right design makes all the difference, in their Sunday EFA Conference session "Strategies to Support Elegant Aging in Place Now and Effective Home Healthcare in the Future."
A boomer herself, Harris outlined why she thinks peers should pursue aging-in-pace solutions for their homes. For starters, there's cost. While retrofits, renovations, and new construction are expensive, long-term care communities can be even pricier, with costs rising as acuity goes up. Harris stressed that the longer one is able to remain at home is better for him/her and preserves resources.
Other reasons aging in place makes sense include a feeling of community that could potentially be lost with a move to senior living, a heightened sense of control over one's environment, and simply wanting to stay home, as oftentimes the only reason people move to long-term care is "because they can't manage at home any longer," she said.
So how can the built environment be designed to allow individuals to stay home? Harris explored considerations that she said should be made when adapting a space or building new, providing her own new-build home as an example.
First is the idea of isolation by providing easy access to the outdoors through details like flush thresholds. Additionally, spaces where one can easily entertain encourages residents to invite others to their home (for Harris, it's taking advantage of her outdoor veranda to host neighborhood wine nights).
To avoid tedium, she encouraged dedicating space for hobby rooms on the main floor rather than tucking them away in a basement or attic so that when mobility is limited, time spent doing what one loves isn't.
Assistance is key, too, as aging will often mean the provision of home health care at some point. Rizk outlined some of the built environment challenges she faces in her job and how they might be avoided with more thoughtful designs, noting that if the home is difficult for caregivers to navigate when care is needed, then it's more difficult for the client, too.
Some of her biggest pet peeves include narrow stairwells with poor lighting and short stairs, stairs leading up to exterior doors with no handrails or landings to support assistive devices, and awkward door swings on interior doors.
Additionally, Rizk highlighted some of the ways that existing homes often limit access to simple activities of daily living, such as toilets that aren't at a comfortable height (especially for those who have had a hip replacement), entry barriers to tubs or showers, sinks that are too high or too low, etc.
Going forward, Harris encouraged architects to step up to create a bandwagon of support for aging in place and changing the perception that universal design chock-full of grab bars, push-open windows, multi-height counters, and ramps can still be full of beauty, texture,warmth, and interest.
She also stressed that it's important for the design community to recognize and communicate the importance of anticipating the inevitable. It's a sense of inertia, she said, that often holds many back–the idea that these types of renovations or new projects can be done when one needs it, but oftentimes in that case, it may be too late.
