Comment about Aging: Adapting Your Home for Comfortable Living

Photo Collage: Adapting Your Home for Comfortable Living
2010 @ wobuilt.com

The other day somehow the conversation got to the topic of aging, especially about aging eyes and light. When I was in my 20s I heard of people in their 40s and 50s that they needed more light to read and of course being young I thought “what are they talking about? I can read a newspaper underneath a street lamp.” Now being in my 40s I can’t even recognize a newspaper underneath a street light.

This of course makes me increasingly more sensitive towards the needs of adapting the design for homes to their age suitability. On the market there are many products that help the aging body to cope – from non slip surfaces to automation to lifts and ramps.

But I believe we need to go further to allow a comfortable living of the elderly in their own homes. We have to push technology further towards automation and new materials, provide ease of access, maybe new space planning and of course affordability.

Martina Ernst
CEO
Wo-Built Inc. - Innovative Design and Build

links:
Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation: Home Adaptations for Seniors' Independence (HASI)
The Home Adaptations for Seniors’ Independence (HASI) program offers financial assistance for minor home adaptations that will help low-income seniors to perform daily activities in their home independently and safely.
Science Daily:Adapt Your Home Today For Tomorrow's Age-Related Disabilities, Cornell Housing Expert Advises
... Evaluating how suitable our homes are for growing old in should be just as routine as financial planning for retirement, says a Cornell University housing expert ...
ezinearticles.com: HOME: Home-and-Family: Home Lighting Design For Aging Eyes - Part 2 - The Math
By Ralph Pressel
twitter's realtime results for "aging + home"
Wo-Built Inc: The Development of an Addition Project: Part 1
... In a space like this there are two main challenges: integrating a large visual element such as a kitchen and lighting the space that accentuates positively in a comfortable way ...
Wo-Built Inc: Lighting with LEDs – The Benefits
Light emitting diodes (LED) seem to be the way of the future and the benefits are endless!
Wo-Built Inc: Kitchen Lighting Trends
Wo-Built Inc: Home Maintenance Service Geared to Senior Citizens
We’ve launched an innovative idea with our "Home Maintenance Service". For a yearly fee, this particular service features regular home maintenance (like a "tune-up" for your house) for seniors who find it too difficult to do the work themselves, or clients who just don’t have the time or talent in home maintenance.
Wo-Built Inc: Help For Independent Living For Seniors
We at Wo-built can help you with assessing your needs and doing the necessary renovations to make your golden years more comfortable in your own home.