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Senior Summit in OKC A Great Success

8/16/2012

 
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Presenters: Pat Darlington, Kay Stewart and John Harned
Oklahoma County has more than 110,000 citizens over the age of 60 and local organizations and country government recently stepped up to support and provide options to their large elder population.  This week, the United Way of Central Oklahoma, AARP Oklahoma, the Oklahoma State Homebuilders Association and the Oklahoma County Government sponsored a Senior Summit to provide information, knowledge and options to more than 100 seniors in attendance. 

By all accounts, it was a great success. The feedback provided by those seniors clearly indicated that living in a home of their own choosing was at the top of the list. 

Break out sessions with the seniors gave the organization leaders great feedback on what might be on their minds and what just might be needed to take care of this significant group of Oklahomans.  While concerns about the deterioration of local neighborhoods, home maintenance and public transportation were clearly indicated, the majority also stated that being in their own home was top of mind, especially if certain modifications could be made that would increase the level of comfort, security and safety. Wider doors, bathroom safety, energy efficiency and elevating dishwashers were options the seniors stated would be in their list of preferences.
 

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Christi Jernigan and Blair Schoeb
Hosted by Ray Vaughn, Chair of the Board of Oklahoma County Commissioners, several speakers offered a variety of housing and home environments, from assisted living to co-housing to updating a home for a lifetime.  Kudos go to Blair Schoeb, Senior Vice President at United Way of Central Oklahoma, Mike Means, the executive director of the OK State Home Builders Association, Sean Voskuhl, the State Director of AARP Oklahoma and Christi Jernigan, the Director of Oklahoma County Social Services for all the hard work they put forth to organize this event.  

Also in attendance during an afternoon session were business, professional and tradespeople including homebuilders, developers, Realtors, physical therapists and bankers, all who were interested in the business opportunity created by the 73 million baby boomers who are looking for options in their later lives. 


Outcomes from the summit will include a report to the participating organizations that will indicate the services and resources seniors may need in choosing the type of housing that is right for them.  

A special shout out go to hosts, Blair and Christi for inviting Michael Thomas, FASID to participate in the event and for making his return trip to Central Oklahoma such a great success.  ;-)     



Aging In Place: Alive On Arrival

11/21/2011

 
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Oklahoma State University
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. 

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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. 

In My Opinion: Age Is About Attitude.

10/6/2011

 
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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?

Read A Recent Review of the Book Residential Design For Aging In Place.

7/26/2011

 
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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.

Car Manufacturers Are Watching Out For Baby Boomers.

7/7/2011

 
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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?

Music Memories Are Rekindled Just For Baby Boomers

7/4/2011

 
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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. 

Is Getting Older Worth The Denial?

7/1/2011

 
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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.  

Boomer Makes A Film About His Father's WWII Experience and

6/27/2011

 
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. 

Denial Of Aging Doesn't Mean Homes Can't Be Age Friendly

5/3/2011

 
We Are All Denying Age.  And Why?  Its just a few wrinkles here and there.
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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?

Boomers Are On The Move.... But Where Will They Go?

4/30/2011

 
I find it fascinating to look at all the information coming about about Baby Boomers.  After all, I am one of them. But things are indeed changing in light of the recent economic challenges, Boomers may be making different plans. 
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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

    Michael A. Thomas, FASID, interior designer in Phoenix, AZ
    Michael A. Thomas, FASID

    Welcome To This Boomer's Design Blog!

    Michael A. Thomas, FASID is an author, writer and interior designer who as a caregiver developed a passion for creating homes without barriers, maximizing the independence of his clients and having a little fun along the way.  
    _________________________

    Feel free to contribute your thoughts in this blog.
    _________________________

    Co-Author: Residential Design For Aging In Place.  To learn more, CLICK HERE. 


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