From USC
With that giant Baby Boom generation zooming into its geriatric phase, now is a great time to piggy-back on economic initiatives -- such as the Obama Administration plan to energy retrofit millions of houses -- to boost construction, design and legal measures to let seniors stay independent for longer in their homes, advocates say. They point out the huge cost savings and giant strides for quality of lives if a national strategy could be put in force to fix up millions of homes for seniors and to ensure that new dwellings also are adapted not just for them but with a more universal access. Just by small moves -- such as making entries wider and without steps, equipping tubs with grab bars and hand rails, building houses with livable ground floors, including at least a half bath and perhaps a walk-in shower -- more seniors could stay in their homes and out of more costly facilities. Governments could aid in this effort by altering their building and zoning codes to call for these senior friendly actions, as well as allowing for the building in single-family suburbs of "mother-in-law" units. There's also an ambitious movement for "universal design" in homes, giving them wider entries, variable height counters, front-loading appliances, wider doors with lever handles or automatic openers and those live-in ground level spaces. By 2030, experts estimate that there will be 28 million disabled adults older than 65 in this country.
Comments