Age In Place? There Are More Options Every Day. Three Principles.
By Karen and Erica
Our readers know we are not of the view that we should plan to get old. Because we don’t have to. We only have to get older. But we acknowledge that our bodies might start to be cranky about things like corkscrews and heavy doors, and we do think it makes sense to consider what the latest technology has to say about home modifications that make life easier. Because one thing we are not going to do is move to a facility that isolates older people away from the lives everyone else is living.
We are going to stay in our homes. Wherever we choose to locate those homes.
And we think policymakers should enact policies that make it easier for us to do so.
Several principles apply to design for … anyone. Here are three.
First: design for making life easier must be elegant. We liked a recent New York Times article about aging in place with style. Life will not be improved if we can open doors more easily but are forced to deal with ugly handles. Grab bars might save our lives but we won’t install them if we dislike the way they look.
Second, we don’t think getting older inevitably means becoming disabled. But those who design for people with disabilities have a great deal to teach us about design for aging populations. And any population. The OXO origin story says it all—the founder wanted to make a kitchen tool that could be easily used by his arthritic wife. He made many tools that are great for all of us.
Similarly, things like biometric solutions, such as doors that open by fingerprint or eye identification, work well if you are arthritic—but also if you are carrying a lot of groceries. We love induction cooktops because they are beautiful and clean easily—and because they are safe for households with kids, or older people, or people with disabilities. Flooring that is softer but not a trip hazard—i.e. cork rather than shag rugs—provided it looks elegant—is good for everyone, too.
Third, we like data. Architects now have access to analysis based on data about how wide a space needs to be to accommodate a wheelchair, and how high a counter should be—and can make counters of different heights in different areas. They understand that a veteran with prosthetics needs to be able to reach into the refrigerator, and needs functional furniture. (Shout out to Wayfair for helping veterans to furnish their homes with furniture designed for them.) We are interested that you can get an assessment over the internet about what you might need for your home. And here is a resource of which we have recently been advised.
Of course we will want the latest gadgets too. Electrical outlets for our self-driving cars, and refrigerators that order groceries when we run low, and a Roomba, and lots of other things that have not yet been invented. While a toilet that provides data to our doctors is a little weird—but also quite brilliant—a live-in robot that can find a misplaced phone (how about lost readers, too?) or help us put things together seems like a fine household addition. We’ll call ours Mr. Domo.
The point is—if you want to stay in your home—or a new home—you can plan for it. There are more resources every day, and there should be no need to settle for anything but what you want. Including a machine companion with a nose for fine wine.