Bright Futures
(Page 2)

Building for the Future
Chadwell agrees. “This is a new and growing market, and the aging population is soon going to demand it,” she says. “We are attempting to help people survive in their entire house and not do anything to limit mobility.”

To that end, the first thing Life@Home does with each client is a site assessment. The focus is on the primary area of concern for the caregiver, which most often is the bathroom, followed closely by the entryways, then the bedroom.

“Our clients basically want to know if it is physically possible to make these changes,” Chadwell says. “A lot of the time our recommendations are simple tips, such as moving the laundry room upstairs to the main floor, or removing a rug in the entryway that poses a slipping hazard. Anything that presents the opportunity to cause a fall should be addressed. For instance, stairs can be fine for 50 years, then become a struggle as [the resident’s] mobility changes.”

The common sense nature of the majority of recommendations made by home modification providers also brings up an issue that Chadwell feels would greatly impact her entire business: Educating people about their environment before problems occur.

“We are usually called to the home after something has happened,” Chadwell says. “There is not a lot of preventive thinking in society today, and I would like to change that because people could stay in their homes longer and be safer. That would also grow our business faster.”

One simple preventive measure is to install a handicapped-height toilet in every house, Chadwell says. These toilets are easier on people having trouble with their back or knees, and they will not harm the overall value of the home.

Foresight during construction could also make many future changes less costly and inconvenient for homeowners. One example is preparing for the future installation of bathroom grab bars by putting reinforcements between bathroom-wall studs. When placed 33 to 36 inches from the ground, these reinforcements would allow for more options when placing grab bars.

“The reinforcements also will ensure that the grab bar will stay up if the person using it goes down,” Chadwell says. “It is a quick trick to know, and these kinds of shortcuts make things a lot easier down the line.”

She also recommends installing a phone jack in the bathroom and making a few different methods of showering available, such as a handheld shower head with a diverter so that the home’s residents can sit to take showers, if they need to. Slightly bigger shower stalls will accommodate a caretaker who may need to assist with bathing.

Finally, higher electrical outlets are easier to reach for seniors with limited mobility. “When people get older and bend to do things, they start falling,” Chadwell says. “How many people do you know who are going to tell you they fell because they tried to plug in a lamp? They feel stupid. All these tips are attempts to restore or maintain a person’s dignity within the framework of their home.”

<previous page>  <next page>