Aging in Place

As the Director of Education for the Western and Central Virginia Aging in Place Council I am pleased to announce that we are officially in business. The purpose of the Council is to raise awareness of the benefits of aging in place also known as long term care at home. We will be holding events throughout the area to help educate people on the value of staying home as they age and how to access the resources needed to do so safely and comfortably. If you own a business or are involved with an organization that services seniors in their homes in western or central Virginia, we would love to have you join us. For more information, visit http://www.ageinplace.org/Local-Chapters/Western-and-Central-Virginia Our next meeting will be Tuesday, July 29 at 4:30 at ProSource in Roanoke

Generally speaking, most people thank of remodeling or home modifications as being expensive. Without question, many of the solutions that we talk about in Housing Matters can be costly. There are, however, many effective aging in place solutions that are surprisingly affordable. A Baltimore area study being conducted by the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing is looking at how six visits from an occupational therapist, four visits from a nurse, and just over a thousand dollars worth of home modifications can improve someone’s ability to remain safely and comfortably in their home. “We see housing as a part of health care,” says project leader Sarah Szanton, Ph.D., an associate professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. “What one can do is a function of where one lives, so the home is a place worthy of health-care investment. What actually gets someone out of their home and into an institution are the functional consequences of disease – you can’t get your leg over the tub or you can’t stand long enough to cook.” By making modifications to the home such as a Safeway Step or a cooktop or sink with removable cabinet fronts, people find that these challenges are solved and life is easier. Some of the other low cost modifications that can help you stay safely and comfortable at home include grab bars, taller commodes, swing clear hinges on doors, lever handles on door knobs and faucets, motion sensors on lights in critical areas, contrasting colors on countertop and stair edges, extra handrails on stairs, pull out and pull down shelving in cabinets, fall protection mats, and many more. Often things like removing throw rugs, trailing extension cords, and clutter can prevent a fall. With the average hospitalization cost for someone over 65 who has a fall at $15,000 and the average cost of nursing home care at $6,700 a month, it is easy to see that money spent on home modifications to prevent falls or to prevent injury from falls is a very wise investment. I recommend looking around the home for obvious signs of danger from falls. Every year one third of adults over the age of sixty five suffers a fall, two thirds of those who fall will fall again within six months, and one third of falls are due to environmental hazards within the home. Look for clutter, obstructed walkways, throw rugs, loose flooring, or anything that could present a tripping hazard. Pay extra attention to lighting. As we age, our eyesight deteriorates and we need better lighting than when we were younger. We plan general and task lighting so that the light in all areas is bright yet glare free. Another technique is to use contrasting colors on the edges of surfaces like countertops and stairs. This makes it easier to see where the top ends and the edge begins. Add handrails and grab bars wherever an extra hand hold may help to prevent a fall. At stairs and in bathrooms are some of the most important places to add handrails or grab bars, but don’t overlook the kitchen, common areas, and bedrooms. If you need some help determining what modifications would make the greatest impact on home safety for you or your loved one, please give us a call at (540) 384-2064. We would be happy to come to your home to assess your changing needs and recommend a plan  of action. As the old saying goes, “Better safe than sorry”! Thank you for reading Housing Matters.

I was recently reading an article on Builder Online. The article reported some of the results of a NAHB survey called What Home Buyers Really Want. The survey, performed in 2012, and released in May 2013 lists five aging in place features that were rated desirable or essential by at least half of the respondents. The top rated feature is a full bathroom on the main level, followed by doorways at least 3 ft. wide, hallways at least 4 ft. wide, non slip floors, and a zero step entry. At just under half are lowered kitchen cabinets and bathroom aids such as grab bars and shower seats. As time passes and the population gets older and older, we are nearing a tipping point. I fully expect see a day in  the near future when these issues will be at the forefront of all of our thoughts because the need for lifespan design housing will be great. I am working to be ready for that day. Will you be ready?

The Christmas season is upon us. All the sights, sounds, smells and tastes that we associate with the wonderful celebration of the birth of Christ fill most of us with warm feelings. We scurry around looking for just the right gift for that special someone. But what to get for the person who has everything? I am going to suggest a gift that keeps on giving. Give the gift of safety and peace of mind in the New Year and beyond. Most of us know an elderly person who has fallen or maybe we have fallen ourselves. What you may not know is that up to one third of Americans aged 65 and older fall each year. In fact falls are the leading cause of fatal injury and the most common cause of nonfatal trauma-related hospital admissions among older adults. Often a fall begins a downward spiral of lack of confidence which leads to more falls. The financial toll for falls by older adults will increase as the population ages and may reach 54.9 billion by 2020. If you or a loved one is prone to falling, these are staggering statistics. To put it into perspective, every 15 seconds an older adult is treated in the emergency room for a fall; every 29 minutes an older adult dies following a fall. So how do you prevent yourself or a loved one from becoming one of these statistics? Solid Rock Enterprises, Inc. is pleased to offer the Fall Protection Package. This package protects you from fall related injuries, particularly in the bathroom. We focus on the bathroom because many falls occur in the bathroom and the ones that do can be the most devastating. Falls are more likely to occur in the bathroom for several reasons. First of all, everything is more slippery when it is wet. Second we often go the bathroom during the night, when we are only partially awake. Third, if we do fall we grab whatever we can to steady ourselves and most of these items will not bear our weight. And fourth, surfaces in most bathrooms are very hard, leading to greater injury in a fall. The three components of the Fall Protection Package are a Safeway Step, grabcessories, and smart cell flooring. The Safeway Step is a tub cutout that lets you step into the tub much easier. Stepping over the tub wall gets increasingly difficult for many older Americans and many falls occur as people are getting in or out of the tub. The second component consists of strategically placed grab bars. Having a securely mounted grab bar can mean the difference between a momentary loss of balance and a devastating fall. We offer grab bars cleverly disguised as needed bathroom accessories. The final component of the Fall Protection Package is SmartCells® flooring. This revolutionary flooring product will reduce the impact of a fall by up to a factor of ten. The SmartCells® patented, dual-stiffness structure becomes softer under impact while at the same time providing stability for balance-impaired persons and care-givers. Available in different colors as well as drain through versions for use in a shower or tub, SmartCells® offer fall protection previously unavailable anywhere. If you have a loved one who is prone to falling, why not give them the gift of safety and peace of mind in the New Year? Call us at (540) 384-2064 for more details, and this year give them the gift that will truly make a difference in their lives. Thank you for reading Housing Matters and I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy new Year!

If you are anything like the vast majority of Americans over the age of 45 you want to live out the remainder of your days in the comfortable and familiar surroundings of your own home. You have likely lived there for many years, probably because you like the home and the neighborhood. However, it is also likely that you live in a “Peter Pan” home. That is, a home designed for someone who will never grow old. Most homes are designed based on common practice in the past rather than usefulness for the present and the future. Chances are, there are a number of steps in your home, both outside and inside. It is very likely that there are many doors in your home that are too narrow for a walker or wheelchair to pass through. Most bathrooms are full of hazards for anyone who is struggling with mobility or balance issues even if you can get through the door. My advice is to plan ahead to modify your home before it reaches the point where you are having difficulty. For example, if you install grab bars before you need them, you will get in the habit of reaching for them and then when you do need them, the action will be automatic. Many people do not think about making changes to their homes until it becomes an emergency, at which point it is more difficult and costly to get changes made in time to be effective. If you are considering updating your kitchen, bathroom, deck, or any other part of your home, take some time to think about your future needs. By designing your home to be beautiful and accessible for people of all ages, you are making an investment in your future that will pay dividends for years to come. Not only will you be more comfortable and safer in your home, you will enjoy it more as well. I have a number of checklists available to help you decide what areas of your home to consider modifying. Please call me at (540) 384-2064 or email me at cmoore@solidrockenterprises.com for more information or for a home assessment. The more information you have about what your options are, the better decision you can make. I look forward to hearing from you, and thank you for reading Housing Matters.  

While this phrase is more closely associated with Christmas and December than it is with January and the start of a new year, I’m talking about a different type of list. The type of list I am referring to is a checklist that you can use to determine how safe and accessible your home is for you and your loved ones. There are dozens of these checklists available that have been developed by various organizations including the Center for Universal Design, Easter Seals, and Rebuilding Together. They run the gamut from simple one page checklists to very extensive room by room inventories of your home. While they all have some value, nothing takes the place of a professional assessment. A good checklist is a great place to start looking at your home to see if you need some home modifications. Here is my own list of some of the top areas to look at: Is there an accessible route into and around the home? Make sure you have at least one zero step entry into the home (preferably covered) and wide doorways and hallways throughout the home. Are the bathrooms safe and usable by everyone in the home? More falls occur in the bathroom than anywhere else in the home. A curbless shower or walk in tub, a comfort height commode, accessible sink, grab bars, and good lighting will go a long way towards making the bathroom safer and more accessible. Safety in the kitchen. In order for the kitchen to be a safe place to prepare meals, make sure that there are clear walkways and room to move around. A sink and cooktop with knee space below allow someone to use them from a seated position. Pull down shelving in the upper cabinets and pull out shelving in the lower cabinets allow easy access. Contrasting edges on countertops and bright, glare free lighting make it easier to see what you are doing for those with diminished eyesight. Look out for clutter. Many falls occur at home because of loose throw rugs, trailing extension cords or simply clutter laying around in the walkway. Take the time to clean up clutter, fix loose flooring and reroute or rewire extension cords. Make sure help is available when you need it. A good support system is vital, particularly for an older person who lives alone. A good option is an electronic remote activity monitoring system like Simply Home. I have written about Simply Home several times in Housing Matters. This customized system will send out an alert if any of the preprogrammed events trigger the system. For example, it will automatically turn off the stove if it is left on and there is no movement in the kitchen for a certain period of time. Be careful with stairs. Stairs can be a particular challenge for anyone with diminished mobility. Many people contemplate a home with single story living as they get older. If this is not an option for you, make sure you have adequate railings on both sides of the stairs, the treads are made of a non slip material, and there is plenty of light. Having the treads and risers of a contrasting color can help prevent falls by making the transition easier to see. A stair lift is a popular option if climbing stairs has become difficult. I have just touched the surface. For more information, give me a call at 540-556-0650 or come see us at the Greater Roanoke Home and Garden Show Jan 11-13 at the Roanoke Civic Center.

I have been installing custom curbless showers for some time and they are starting to catch on. With the floor, walls, and sometimes the ceiling made of tile, the shower can be any size, color, and texture to match any style or budget. We can install various types of seats, handheld showerheads, shower controls, and showerheads. Here are examples of curbless showers to give you some ideas. As you can see, the possibilities are enormous. Not only do curbless showers allow full and unfettered access by people of all abilities, they are very stylish and offer unlimited variations. The first question most people ask is, “With no curb, how does the water stay in?” The floor of the curbless shower is sloped toward the drain so that water runs into and down the drain. We use a level entry shower floor system that can be installed in a wood or concrete floor. This system creates a pre sloped, completely waterproof base for the shower floor that can then be tiled over with your choice of tile. We also can install a secondary trench drain around the perimeter of the shower as shown in the shower with the blue curtain. The curtains we use are weighted at the bottom to prevent any water from escaping under the curtain. Of course you may also choose to install a glass door or screen on your curbless shower. People often ask me if removing the tub will lower the resale value of their home. On the contrary, these luxurious, spa like showers will create an atmosphere that anyone would love to have in their home. If you like, we can install steam, multiple showerheads, body sprays or any other features that you would install on a high end luxury shower. Seats can be either stationary or designed to fold up against the wall when not in use. Grab bars in a myriad of sizes, colors, styles, and textures can be installed in and around the shower for safety and convenience. For more information on curbless showers and other home modifications to make your home safer and more convenient, call us at Solid Rock Enterprises, Inc. at (540) 384-2064. Thank you for reading Housing Matters and please let me know if you have any questions or have topics you would like to see addressed here.