 Some time ago, a senior moment here,... as I think it was about 8 years ago, I had the opportunity to attend a healthcare symposium in Orlando at their mammoth Orange Country Convention Center. In conjunction with the event, there was a rather small product expo that showcased a number of vendors who cater to the "homecare / personal nursing" market.
There were a few products that were interesting such as a fully-lockable, 5" deep medicine chest that was made to fit between the studs in a wall, a grab bar - what I prefer to call a balance bar - that was made from glow-in-the-dark material, and a shower seat made from recycled teak with a design that was so amazingly beautiful that it really should have been marketed to designers for use in a entry hall, foyer, at the end of the bed or in a living room. It was just that good looking. Great looking products that can be safe and supportive of one's independence yet provide a sense of style would be most warmly welcomed by both baby boomers and all of us designers.
Wandering the convention center thru the miles of aisles, I came into a section where small specialized vendors had designed and executed very creative designs for wheelchairs. One in particular was crafted from lightweight graphite with racing-style wheels, interchangeable leather seat and back cushions and a slick paint job in what I would call Ferrari red with black accents.
It really was something to see and I remarked to the young gentleman - his name was Jim - who was the designer that it was like a fine piece of art. Jim just grinned from ear to ear as he looked up at me from his seated position in this striking wheelchair design. He told me that he lost use of his legs since his accident on the ski slopes and could not find a chair that didn't look like it was from some institution. So having been educated as an engineer, Jim decided to create something special that would be comforting as well as great looking. And he did. I asked him what something like this Ferrari chair might sell for and he suggested that he had at least $1,800 in materials alone so I'm thinking it would be well above $3k once it hit the marketplace.
But it makes me wonder, even today,...some 8 years later, why we don't see more really cool designs for wheelchairs like Jim's. Designers like myself create high style interiors - and exteriors - that allow anyone to live with a high measure of independence in an environment that is also visually great but safe, comforting, functional and secure. Seems that there would be demand for a high style chair that is visually sensational but also functional, safe, and secure. Just wondering. Universal design meets Bauhaus might be a start. What do you think?
Who hasn't heard at least something about green or sustainable design?
One would have had to be on a planet in the third solar system past the sun not to have at least learned something about the need to conserve our planet's resources. And the same goes for the concept of designing spaces to accommodate people as they age, what many know as universal design for aging-in-place. So once these concepts are broadly accepted by consumers and clients, what's next?
I propose that what's next is the merging of those into one larger movement. After all, green design focuses on environmental sustainability. Universal design on social sustainability. It seems then only logical that thru the design of environments, the quality of the human experience would be elevated by combining independency thru barrier free spaces with those that provide high quality indoor air (as an example, thru the use of paint finishes with low VOCs.) This would no doubt result in exceptional environments that enhance the quality of the human experience.
Seems simple when you think about it.
Sustainable Design For Aging In Place.
That's what's next after next.
 Many in the design community have provided great comments and reviews of the book Residential Design For Aging In Place written with my colleague and dear friend, Drue Lawlor, FASID. We are pleased that architects, designers and builders have found the information to be helpful in their projects. But also we have received emails from consumers who see the increasing value of making the changes that embrace the concept of living with independence. How good is that?In a recent review published on the blog of Cosmo Architectural Design Homes, the post said, "The book is well organized so readers can pinpoint a specific topic to learn about; however, I found myself so drawn into the information that I read the book cover to cover! The uniqueness of this book is the thorough research that Lawlor and Thomas conducted. To read the entire post, CLICK HERE. To learn more about how to purchase your own autographed book, CLICK HERE.
 This recent project features a beautiful shower with a curbless entry. I was talking with a design associate about how Baby Boomers and their parents resist this design concept of making their homes more accessible so that they can choose to remain in a place of their choosing for as long as it is possible. Clients of mine have put up road blocks when I start talking about "their age" and how homes can be more accommodating if certain features were changed. One client told me who is approaching the big 6-0 that old for her was her parents who are well in their eighties. It was interesting to note that she doesn't consider that she will be getting old until she hits 70. That's her benchmark.
But what I started to think about during my call with my colleague is that this concept of making changes to ones home or place of work to accommodate the physical changes that naturally occur in our body should be less about age and more about adapting to ability. Wow... something that I knew as a specialist but it was like a knock on the side of the head. This aging in place thing certainly applies to baby boomers who are thinking about their future but the truth is: Its Much More About Independence and doing all the things to one's domicile that permit one to consider that living in a place of one's choosing should always be at the top of the list.
Here is a quote that I read somewhere and wanted to share that tells it like it is: We are all aging all the time, and accessibility needs aren’t dictated by one’s years – it’s dictated by one’s abilities.
So I'm looking for ways to describe the concepts and ideas of creating places that are safe spaces without resorting to terms like aging in place nor even universal design. Would it be : LifeTime Design? Freedom Homes? Choice Design Selection? Accessible Interiors? Anyway, what are your thoughts? There should be a name that makes this idea of accessible much more sexy.
Your Comments?
 We often look at celebrities and the famous to gain perspective on things such as life, money, sex, politics and family. So I decided to see what the famous people of the past ( and one from the present ) had to say about getting older.
• Would they have some knowledge or wise sage that they could share that would help us baby boomers better appreciate what is yet to come as we get along in years?
• Do they have a unique perspective that only comes after living six, seven or eight decades?
• What might we learn from them that could be applied now to make life just a little less daunting?
I discovered several interesting quotes from a few well known people that makes me think that we may lose our memory as we age, but it appears that we don't lose our sense of humor.
"Sometimes, when I look at my children, I say to myself, 'Lillian, you should have remained a virgin."
- Lillian Carter (mother of Jimmy Carter)
"We could certainly slow the aging process down if it had to work its way through Congress."
- Will Rogers
"Don't worry about avoiding temptation... as you grow older, it will surely avoid you."
- Winston Churchill
"Maybe it's true that life begins at 50... but everything else starts to wear out, fall out, or spread out."
- Phyllis Diller
"Old age is fifteen years older than I am now."
- Oliver Wendell Holmes
"Age in something that simple does not matter unless you are cheese."
- Billie Burke
"The age of a woman doesn't mean a thing. The best tunes are played on the oldest fiddles."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Like everyone else who makes the mistake of getting older, I beging each day with coffee and obituaries."
- Bill Cosby
"An archaeologist is the best husband a woman can have. The older she gets the more interested he is in her."- Agatha Christie
And by far, this favorite one,...
"I had a rose named after me and I was very flattered. But I was not pleased to read the description in the catalog: 'Not good in a bed, but fine up against a wall.'"
- Eleanor Roosevelt
 Larger fonts on dashboards will make it easier to read. 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?
 Just a few days ago we celebrated the 4th of July, a day set aside to celebrate our American independence. And since independency was a major theme of my book, I thought I would share the first chapter of Residential Design For Aging In Place with readers as it speaks to how important independency is to all Americans but especially to those who are challenged by the design of their homes. If you would like to read the first Chapter entitled Designs For Independency, GO HERE.
 Who Can Name These Four Famous Boomers In Order? Music and its avenues for delivery have continued to change as a result of new products and technology. When I was a much younger Baby Boomer pup, I remember the biggest rage was LP vinyl albums replacing the 78s and 45 RPMs and then it was compact cassettes by the time I left high school. And remember how "groovy" it was the first time you got a tape deck for your car? I'm glad you do because I don't. All I remember was my first car.... an oil-burner piece of crap, a white 1962 Ford Falcon with cherry red 100% vinyl seats that stuck to your butt in the Oklahoma summer like gum on a shoe. And a 5-button AM radio that could only pick up one station and it only played country and western music. But I am not bitter. Then in the summer of 1979, Sony introduced something really groovy and new. And by year's end compact discs and CD players became THE THING. Remember them? We were so careful not to scratch them, always putting them back in their clear plastic cases. NOT. Then fast forward another decade or two and now we all have digital music. MP3 Players and iTunes. So very groovy and so new. What can possibly be next?
You know.... I have to confess something. It's been really hard for this Boomer to keep up with all the new technology during the last 40 years. Just as soon as you are comfortable with one mode of delivery, then it's time to dump it for something even more groovy and even newer (again.) Now.... there is actually something so much more groovy and so new (again).... created just for us groovy Boomers. It's a digital music collection customized for those of us born between 1946 and 1964.
AARP introduced a free Internet radio service last month that is programmed just for the aging ears of Boomers. Eighteen channels of free AARP-approved music with some 500 songs already cataloged in categories like soul, R+B, jazz, classic and coffeehouse rock. According to the NY Times,... "The player is embedded into AARP’s site, and its design was kept simple for ease of navigation, with buttons only for playing and pausing a song, and skipping ahead to the next one." Well I know that all of us Boomers are certainly glad about the "ease of use" because between being hard of hearing, dealing with a loss of sight and trying to hit the right buttons on the computer when fingers are curled up from arthritis, many of us have found it difficult just to use our iPhone to make a call without glasses and hearing aids.
Now the only beef I have with AARP is that their new music offering is just not easy to find on their website....even if you do have tri-focals. But you can CLICK HERE to go to AARP's webpage and off to the right, you'll see a box for AARP Internet Radio. Then just click on it and before you know it,... you'll be singing along with the Carol King, Carly Simon and Paul Simon. I just was saying to a older Boomer friend, "I wonder what ever happened to Simon and Garfunkel, what we once abbreviated to just S and G." Now I know what happened. S and G must have been holding out for AARP Internet Radio.
You know.... It is just great to know that AARP is still looking out for us Boomers in finding our own kind of music. Very groovy, AARP. Now I've lost my keys but I don't think AARP can help find those.
 Combination smoke + CM alarms are available. While many homes have some type of alarms for burglary, fire and smoke, not many homes also have carbon monoxide detectors. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, the leading cause of accidental poisoning in American is the result of carbon monoxide build up in air. In the home, it is formed from incomplete combustion from any flame-fuled device including ovens, cooktops, water heaters and vehicles. Newer home construction also gives the opportunity for this gas to build up without realizing it due to tighter, airtight construction methods.
What makes it scary is that carbon monoxide is tasteless, odorless and invisible so one can be breathing it and not even be aware that it's in the space until symptoms begin to show like shortness of breath, mild headaches, nausea and fainting. In serious cases of CM poisoning, brain damage and death can occur. Not something you want to experience for an aging parent nor family friend of any age.
As a safe and sound precaution, add a carbon monoxide detector to an interior just like you would for smoke or fire. The should be installed at least 5 feet above the finished floor or on the ceiling as this gas is lighter than air and will rise. CM Detectors can be hard-wired or battery operated and the investment will be less the $50.00 in most cases but the return is the very "life" of those who occupy the space. There are many models available and ones that combine smoke and carbon monoxide detection into one battery-operated unit including this one from First Alert for $35.00. So worth the investment, don't you think?
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