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