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Homes a Threat to Elderly Society By
Ron Wiggins
May 15, 2003 Do you love your house a lot and mean to live right where you are forever? A pity then that your fingernails will leave ugly furrows in your carpet when they come to drag you off to the old folks' home years ahead of your time. The problem, according to Adelaide Altman, author of ElderHouse (Chelsea Green Publishing Co., $19.95), is that your home was almost certainly designed by -- what's the architectural term for these people, Adelaide? "Nincompoops." Thank you. Altman, 78, a former interior design editor of the Detroit Free Press, chides designers not for lack of talent, but foresight. People are outliving their homes. The homes, sensing the disparity, seek redress by killing its inhabitants, or at best, maiming them so they will be carted off to the nursing home. "The problem," she told me at her Boca Raton penthouse apartment, "is that we are living longer and that as people age, their homes do not keep pace with their needs -- they become booby traps." Altman's mission is to awaken home designers to the needs of the aged, to design living spaces that accommodate all ages without looking like a sick room. Her own recently purchased apartment is a "do and don't" design showcase. Take her kitchen. Please. "Look what happens when I open this oven door. It blocks the entrance to the kitchen. An able person can step around it, but try to come through in a walker or scooter." Her kitchen cabinets are so tall that you practically have to hire Sherpas to fetch an item from the top shelves. A stepladder that came with the apartment is sturdy, but must be replaced. "I'm 78 years old with a recent back injury," she said. "This ladder would be perfect if it had sides. Otherwise, I'm at risk." She loves her counter. She hates it. "Look at this black stone. Expensive, but you can't see dirt. You have to feel for sticky spots. The good news is that the counter is level with the stove and connected to the sink. Look, I can slide a heavy hot pot from the stove to the sink instead of lifting and carrying." The cabinet knobs are misery for arthritics. "I'll put in loop handles." Altman has fitted her lower shelves with lazy-Susan trays so that you don't have to reach back or pull everything out. She puts bridge racks on some shelves to allow for two rows of small items such as spices and condiment jars. But a whole book devoted to making your house safe and accessible until you're 90? "It was tough getting a publisher," Altman said. "Editors would hear my pitch and say it was a downer, that people don't want to think about the infirmities of old age. I said just the opposite, that it's an upper. Having to move into assisted living is the downer." She clicked with Chelsea Green, publishers of books on "sustainable living." A perfect fit. ElderHouse promptly made the AARP book list and netted an attagirl from Betty Friedan: "Very useful for women and men moving into their older age, where the concern is maintaining autonomy and control over their lives." Making a dwelling livable for young and old actually has a name among builder types, says Altman: "They're calling it 'universalizing.' " Altman makes a face. "The people who come up with these names still don't want to come to terms with the new longevity and an aging population. I like saying elder-friendly." With people in mind like herself, wishing to enjoy retirement in familiar surroundings, right Adelaide? "Retirement? Are you kidding," she said. "Retirement's for other people." Copyright
© 2002 Global Action on Aging |
