I had the opportunity to visit the campus of Oklahoma State University for several days last week and what I learned is that aging in place is alive and well ~ at least for the students, OSU faculty and local Stillwater OK residents.  In addition to meeting the educators associated with the Human Sciences Department, I had the chance to engage with the students in the interior design program and provide some insight on the practice of design.  There was also a one hour workshop on aging in place at the School of Architecture for nearly 50 people who braved the cold to come out and learn more about this cultural evolution.

What was great about last week was the diverse groups of people I had the chance to meet who are all talking about aging in place - but from different points of view.  The gerontologists spoke of this topic from social barriers. Another group was creating an older 55 development in far west Stillwater and yet another group was planning a seniors co-housing community that is ready to break ground this week for the construction of 24 homes. Representatives from the United Way of Central Oklahoma also chimed into the conversation during the week long trip and spoke about a symposium they will hold in the Spring of 2012.  Students were being educated on creating residential spaces with an aging client.  There was even a financial consultant on hand in one meeting to share how elders were facing challenges in light of the current economic environment and what solutions there are for this group. 

So while the American economy may have delayed many from taking a planned retirement, and some being forced to consider their future live and work environments, aging in place was on the lips of many in Stillwater, a community an hour north of Oklahoma City.   

If there was a lesson to be learned from the experience to engage with such a diverse audience, it was this:  There is a need to create a larger conversation and venue among all the parties who see this evolution as something more than just a trend.  It is an opportunity to raise the standard of life and quality of care for millions.   

With 76 million baby boomers contemplating their retirement and with the previous generation living longer years, we have an obligation to create all sorts of spaces that will support and sustain a quality of life that allows one to choose independence over dependence.

Imagine the possibilities to bring together designers, architects, builders, financial planners, real estate professionals, occupational and physical therapists and gerontologists together. Just imagine the outcomes as these groups cross pollenate and as a result the development of programs to educate the elders and boomers about their options as they look to their later years.  And imagine the support that could be created by joining forces to help those with limited abilities to stay in a place of their choosing and at a cost they can afford,... saving the taxpayer in the long run from having to provide the resources to institutionalize so many.

As Ted Drab, ASID, OSU senior professor and educator stated during at the conclusion of last week's activities, "Your trip to OSU was to be a catalyst to get the departments of human sciences to start talking with one another and you helped us succeed."  But the amazing things was that the conversation grew rapidly to include so many outside the OSU design department and it clearly shows that Aging In Place is alive and well. 

People are certainly challenged by circumstances and situations as they grow older.  But what we sometimes fail to remember is that people are also challenged by attitudes. No one wants to feel that they are not in control of their own lives and not personally able to take care of oneself.  Because of issues with health, the ability to live an independent elder life is not always as easy as one would like.  And while one may have to make sacrifices, one thing remains: You don't have to give up how you approach these significant times as long as you have the right frame of mind and a good attitude. 

Call it the power of positive expectations.  
Call it  positive thinking.  
Call it using your cane to beat the daylights out of someone who wants to take you out of your life of quiet solitude and independence long before you need to because they know what's best for you.  

The speaker and author Brian Tracey says.... “You cannot control what happens to you, but you can control your attitude toward what happens to you, and in that, you will be mastering change rather than allowing it to master you.” 

This issues of "attitude" is likely.. no, make that very probably “the” biggest issue in getting older, particularly as I have discovered with Baby Boomers.  Certainly science can help boomers live longer.  Assistive devices can make residential environments safer to live in. Removing physical barriers provides more accessibility. But we must also address the cultural attitudes that “getting older” means only crippled and feeble.   

As we live older and active elder existences, perhaps the change of attitude starts with those who are facing it square on, not give in to the opinions of others and give those who consider anyone older than 50 the middle finger. 

How's that for attitude?

It won't be long before we will be seeing subtle but important changes to the things we use everyday as baby boomers impact the country - and the world - as they age.  One maker of audio equipment is exploring an concept that would add a face plate to the front side of their boxes that would make it easier to read the dials and screens.  And a vacuum manufacturer is considering changing the style of their handle to accommodate people with arthritis.  Now, at least one car maker is also getting into the act.

According to research by Ford, even small changes can make the words in its interior graphics easier for everyone to read, regardless of their age. The effect is even more visible on aging Baby Boomers who might appreciate actually seeing the dashboard without squinting. And beginning next year, Ford has decided to begin the production of Ford’s Edge and Explorer SUV models with 40% larger fonts. And then later on...on other Ford models too, with higher contrast and larger fonts on the interior display screens control and A/C controls.  

What an amazing concept !!

“Today, aging consumers are of great interest to companies including Ford. For the first time, people age 65 and over will outnumber children under the age of 5. It’s a transformation that’s changing the world, along with all kinds of products in it.” (according to Ford’s statements).

One thing is for sure.  Larger words will mean that many of us will now actually know just how fast we're driving and won't be able to use that excuse if we are pulled over by the authorities.   "But Officer... I couldn't actually read the dials on the dashboard so I had no idea I was doing 60 in a 35 mile hour zone." 

So what will be next?  What changes in product design should manufacturers take into consideration?
Your Thoughts?

What is the deal with denying our duty and rite to grow older?  It seems that the older this generation of baby boomers gets, the more they deny it.  I guess that's their right as free and independent citizens. And in an article that was on www.smartmoney.com, it seems there are consequences for not doing the important things . . . like make a will.    So here is what the writer Missy Sullivan had to say about getting older and denying such.

Denial can be a beautiful thing. And as baby boomers start to reach a certain age, they can get pretty darn skilled at it:

“Sure I can play competitive hoops with the 20-something guys at work.”

“If I leave that 401k statement unopened, then my portfolio isn’t sucking wind.”

“Make a will? That’s for old people.”

And then there’s the ever-popular “Hell no, I’ll never become frail.”

Never say never. As we’re discovering (for better or for worse), we’re a generation with a lot of big plans, that often doesn’t like planning—especially when it involves acknowledging age-related weakness or loss of ability. It’s an attitude borne out in a new survey about boomers’ long-term housing choices, conducted by insurance group The Hartford, in conjunction with the MIT Age Lab, called Boomers in Transition: Where Will They Live Next?
To read the rest, CLICK HERE.  

Filmmaker Mark Arnett had a vision and that was to tell his father's story on film.  As a Baby Boomer, he wanted to document the way the world was about the time the Boomers were being born... those ungrateful, spoiled, pretentious and selfish Baby Boomers who are now the parents of some of the most ungrateful, spoiled, pretentious and selfish children the world has ever known.  It's an interesting story and the film has won several documentary awards.    CLICK HERE to learn more about it. 

No one wants to admit that they might be getting up in years. Hey,..its a fact of life. Get over it.  The media reinforces that getting older is not a good thing with pictures of skimpy-clad, razor thin models with perfect skin.  Builders skip around the negativity associated with the aging process by building "Active Adult Housing," ...what ever that means yet still add in low profile toilets and showers with curbs.   And then there is science.  These people keep figuring out ways to get rid of wrinkles and hold up sagging body parts.  

But the concept of adding a grab bar in the shower that might help one maintain balance on a wet tile floor, a space considered to be the most dangerous part of the home would be like putting up a neon sign...I AM OLD.  I AM FRAIL. I AM NOT WORTHY.  

But "age denial" should not be the reason to keep the home from being an accessible and safe, friendly-living environment for anyone, at any age, with or without disability.  It just makes good sense and cents.  Age-friendly homes that have such features offer a unique value proposition to those who are looking for such an enhanced living environment. And since there are about 50 million people who identify in one way or another that they are "disabled," it can make the real estate appear more appealing to a much bigger audience.  

Even the National Realtors Association is now contemplating the best way to market homes that have "universal" features built-in already,... that is residences that are more than just being a little age-friendly but fully accessible, adaptable, and barrier-free spaces, ... assisting their agents to identify homes with such features and help them target this rather significant segment of the population

Creating an interior that has few interior barriers will also result in a space that is age-friendly, welcoming family + friends of all ages who might need the use of wider doors, appreciate level thresholds or have need to use an accessible bathroom.

So what is the key to gaining acceptance?  Its in the design.  As long as the implementation of these universal features is transparent in execution, the personal space we call home can easily have the same design aesthetic that any "normal" person would expect from a residence and be a safe, suitable, accessible haven. Even with attempts to ignore the aging process, it shouldn't mean we can't add a measure of access and safety to spaces rather then deny we need to. Aging may be a part of life but so is living independently.  

PS.  By the way.... what is "normal" anyway?

The Urban Institute published a story about the growing population of baby boomers a while back. Between 2010 and 2020, the senior population is expected to grow by some 36 percent. That certainly is an amazing number. And according to the Brookings Institution,these numbers will grow more rapidly in the southeast, the intermountain west and especially Texas.  Here is another number that I find amazing:  Boomers are turning 65 at the rate of 1,000 per day and that trend will continue for another 19 years.

But it appears that the challenges to the economy and the housing crisis have slowed retirement plans of baby boomers. Florida has experienced a loss of migration with people from places like New York and Chicago choosing to remain in place for the time being. Arizona is still getting out of its deep dark cave. And the verdict is still out on Nevada. It may be years fYet surveys continue to indicate that many boomers still have a desire to make a move. So where will are they likely to go??

Where will boomers go if they don't stay where they are?

Areas That Will Experience Senior Growth Due to the Aging of Baby Boomers

Metro area Growth rate

Raleigh-Cary, N.C. 31.6
Austin-Round Rock, Texas 30.1
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, Ga. 29.8
Boise City-Nampa, Idaho 28.7
Las Vegas-Paradise, Nev. 27.8
Orlando-Kissimmee, Fla. 27.2
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, Texas 23.7
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas 22.7
Colorado Springs, Colo. 22.6
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Texas 21.5
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Ariz. 21.0
Charleston-North Charleston, S.C. 20.8
Albuquerque, N.M. 19.5
Tucson, Ariz. 19.2
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Va. 19.1
Salt Lake City, Utah 19.0
Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord, N.C.-S.C. 18.2
Denver-Aurora, Colo. 18.1
Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin, Tenn. 18.1
Ogden-Clearfield, Utah 18.0