jbzook Asked July 2015
Why is it so hard to find an economical home that's designed in an elderly-friendly manner?
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Why is it so hard to find an economical, ranch-style home? With the active, senior citizen population rising so fast, why are so many, even new homes, designed with no mind to the fast growing elderly senior population (I AM TALKING ABOUT HOUSES THAT A SENIOR COULD LIVE IN WITH NO HUMAN ASSISTANCE, HERE, NOT NURSING HOMES)------ Developers would make TONS of $$ doing this! Also, Why doesn't organizations like AARP work with builders, developers, federal housing officials along with city/county and state officials on this?
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But, we are not old enough to want to give up 80% of our possessions to move to independent living.
Senior communities are great but the homes they offer have no basement, no storage building for hubbies tools and hobbies, and usually garages too small for his pickup truck (used to pull camper). Also, most IL's don't provide a lot or place to park a boat, camper because you can't put it in the driveway.
Every newer home is a mini-mansion with open floor plan and 10 foot ceilings, lots of stairs and not senior friendly (or appealing). We would like to stay in a "residential neighborhood setting" but builders don't want to put up small homes because they "don't fit" with their mini mansions with peaks and gables. None are building "starter homes or senior homes". We considered buying land and building but it will cost us more than staying where we are and its hard to find single lots that aren't on a main road of some sort .
We have found plenty of "older" single story homes in older developments - all needing a LOT of remodeling and money to update them.
I wish we could go back to the "good old days" when a nice 3 bedroom, 2 bath ranch (of about 1500-1800 sq ft) with a basement and garage was the norm, not the rarity. Why won't IL housing provide more choices?
During the energy crisis of the 70's, there were a lot of what are now called "green" concepts - earth sheltered homes are the only ones I remember now.
It's a really positive sign that another builder is focusing on these aspects again. This is the kind of community in which I'd like to live - enough of these 'WE LOVE LAWNS!" communities!
HUD does have grants to fund emergency and health related repairs for income qualified people. And the VA also does have programs for veterans, including the home purchase program. I don't know what the interest rate is though. The VA is really challenged now with so many injured vets returning from the in country deployments.
I still think the answer is incentivizing the private sector, but that's easier said than done.
ArmyRetired, I think the McManson plague is unfortunately too widespread. But I'm wondering how it will cost more to educate the children living in those monstrosities? Are you thinking that their parents will pressure the public educational system for improvements in curricula?
Florida and Texas have I think made efforts to accommodate seniors, and the Winter Texans and Snowbirds help the economy, so there's definitely the financial incentive to cater to seniors.
I don't think that will ever happen in the North or NE - not many people would want to come to Michigan's UP to battle monstrous snow piles. Those states that are geographically positioned to exploit the need to escape winter will probably use that to encourage senior populations. Your point is well taken.
I would be happy to move into one of them soon just to get out from under the "stuff" but the big stopping block is my husband and all his "toys" in the basement - power tools, a street rod, extra engine parts and every little scrapped motor, and junk! I could reduce my possessions to four rooms of furniture, my clothes, a few momentos and pictures and my 2 puppies! I feel overwhelmed with stuff that fills a 9 room house - stuff I will never use, rooms I never go into except to dust or for an occasional guest. Stuff!
I love the idea of the giant strobe light!
Remember that Formica pattern that looked like small boomerangs?
Windy, interesting concept for your home to age in... especially like the drain in the middle of the floor.
Well here's the plan for my old age home:
Large metal pole barn, half house, half garage.
Concrete floor with indoor outdoor carpet in living space.
Large bathroom with shower that you can ride into on your garden tractor.
All counter heights just above height of my Rascal.
Big drain in middle of floor to facilitate hose down by caregiver in event of adult diaper failure.
Driveway to street with vertically mounted roller pads on sides to facilitate launching car onto public roadway.
200 ft tower with strobe light beacon that can be seen from nearest Walmart to aid in return to domicile.
Your house's configuration is exactly like my sister's; it was so much easier for my father to get inside - large porch, railings, lots of handholds... unlike ours which had to be retrofitted with grab bars. I've been fighting a losing battle on getting a ramp from the front door though.
Ironically enough, there were 2 ramps from a bedroom and the adjacent nurse's room when my parents bought the house. It had been owned by a family whose patriarch was paralyzed - I believe he was a paraplegic. There was a sink in the bedroom, ramp outside the bedroom, adjacent nurse's room, and ramp from that room as well.
Dad removed all except the ramp from his bedroom, which was fortunate he kept that because the paramedics used it the second time he fell.
Still, I'd feel much better if we could retrofit the front porch with railings and a ramp.
I've started looking, too... and yes, many of those 55+ communities have large monthly HOA fees. But I am ready to pay that to have a cooked meal waiting for me in one of the community restaurants when I get home from work :)
So many times I hear about couples saving their retirement to move to some romantic island to live where everything is so much cheaper.... then I think what about health care? Does Medicare follow you no matter where you go? What about secondary health insurance, is that limited to only the States? Language issues? Would I need to be air lifted to a trauma center because there isn't one on the island?
Also depending on what State one moves to, sometimes the State offers a good deductible to seniors on their State income taxes. I was so surprised when the Commonwealth of Virginia gave me a nice tax deduction once I turned 65 :)
My husband did not go out alone; someone was always pushing his wheelchair. I did put in a railing. The ground was also sloped, so there was no risk of "falling off" the sidewalk. But if I become disabled or someone buys the house who needs to pull themselves with a railing it can easily be added. It probably isn't officially "handicap accessible" without the railings, but it sure made our lives easier!
Growing up Mom use to do the laundry in the basement with a ringer washer, carry the wet clothes outside to dry on the line [guess that is when laundry competition started as to who had the brightest sheets], but if it was raining, Mom would carry the clothes up the basement stairs... then up to the 2nd floor... then up into the large attic where Dad had clothes lines for her. Hmmm, the fresh smell of a stuffy attic :P
Glad, as I recall, ranch homes because of their larger lot size also invoke higher property taxes. Ugh.
Amy, I think the maintenance fees and the HOA strict regulations (read sometimes "meddling") is the main drawback of that retirement community concept. The transportation, central meeting places, etc. are great, but a little power in the hands of some people can be an onerous headache for homeowners.
To our British friends:
Years ago I corresponded with a gardener whose occupation was to visit seniors after it became necessary for some retrofitting to be done to their homes. As I remember (and this has been some 20 years ago), these retrofits were paid for by either the local community or some national agency and were free to citizens.
Is this the case? How does it work now? Are there certifications required, any co-pay from the residents?
No one wants to admit that the retirement to assited living to Memory care joints are starting to make sense for them. I'm thinking our next move will be to one of those places.
I was in the building trades for many years and worked on lots of high end retirement homes for rich people. These things would be gigantic, several levels, lofts, stairs, landings, just ridiculous structures for any purpose. In many cases I would work with the owners and designers on the lighting, power, security, sound systems etc (electrician) and these were OLD rich people who could hardly walk. What the F... Are they thinking?!
I think it's like the issue of getting your affairs in order. Mom and dad are in deep sh..... Before anyone thinks about a POA. The federal, state, and county govs ain't gonna do it. There's some good programs here and there but really it's up to individuals. The U.S. must be one of the worst developed countries in terms of how we deal with the elderly, and if the tea bag slingers get their way it's only gonna get worse.
So, start thinking about your sore back and bad knees now. Build the laundry room on the first floor, use 3 ft doors, and a huge old age bath with grab bars every damn place.
Maybe we should all get together and start a turnkey elderly friendly home supply store.
Then I think on how non-friendly appliances are for elders. Even for myself, with my HE top-loading washer, I need to dive in to get that one sock on the bottom. Neither of my parents could do that. They have a new set of a regular washer and dryer, but the writing for the controls are in light blue and very hard for them [and me] to read. Come on GE, re-think this.
I have yet see a user-friendly refrigerator for an elder. I know I am ready to get a side-by-side as bending down and reaching into the back of the top shelf is getting to be a challenge. Don't care for the freezer on the bottom, another dive into an appliance to get something out.
Sinks and toilets need to be a bit taller... harder to bend down to the sink, and to land on the toilet. Love the walk-in showers, and forget about those large oval sunken tubs, a royal pain to get in and out, and to clean.
Look at the tv shows that feature upscale, sometimes impractical homes with all the high end features. Who advertises on these shows? Who provides the equipment and appliances for them? All of these groups have more to gain than the few companies that supply grab bars and advocate wider hallways.
But what demographic group can afford those? Certainly not all seniors. Those who can don't need to worry about these issues. I'm sure the Bushes or the Kennedys aren't worried about who'll care for them as they age.
But young and upcoming people with dual careers, dual incomes (both of which are in the upper ranges), and in my biased opinion a need to validate themselves through visible material acquisitions are I think the target group for the upscale homes that are so impractical.
Contractors, builders, even communities that want bigger property tax revenues all go for the more glitzy houses. Practicality? Who worries about that? Aging in place? They're too young to worry about that either.
I think the retirement communities are moving toward better homes for seniors, but some of them are also ridiculously micromanaged. Someone on another forum I visit wrote that in the community of one of his relatives, the HOA rules include keeping the garage door shut at all times except for ingress and egress. How stupid. Is an open garage door going to make a negative impression on other residents? How are woodworkers and people with home shops supposed to work in closed environments if they don't have adequate lighting or ventilation?
The lack of forward planning for an aging population isn't dissimilar to the approach of many communities that obsess with lawns and believe that these are actually hallmarks of great places to live. The amount of money, pollution, and carbon footprints created, increased and expended for these high maintenance showpieces could be put to much better use.
These are all such shallow approaches. There is actually one forward thinking community in this area which has acquired an abandoned goat to substitute for gas guzzling, loud, noisy, odor belching power mowers. The goat is assigned to munch his way to happiness by freely consuming all the weeds, wildflowers and grass he can eat in a certain area.
This community is also forward thinking in providing activities for seniors.
So perhaps what it might take is more environmentally and age aware people in office, as a start.
My self esteem isn't based on whether or not I have a granite countertop.