In the 1950s and 60s, Joseph Eichler built suburban tract home developments in California. The houses were different than what people were used to seeing, because Eichler worked with architects to design unique, affordable, one-story homes that fit his conception of the modern family lifestyle. This is very unusual for “spec” home developers. As a result, he is now considered a pioneer of the “California Style.”

He was also a devotee of the architect Frank Lloyd Wright (having lived in one of his houses as a student) and employed a number of principles from Wright’s home designs. He used post-and-beam construction, which allowed for wide expanses of floor-to-ceiling glass, giving the house a strong relationship to the outside and inviting in generous amounts of light. The floor plans are open and spacious. The houses have radiant heating, a system where pipes are set into a concrete slab foundation, hot water pumped through them to warm the house evenly.

The concrete slab foundation is the reason that many original owners of Eichler homes still live in them, some 50 years or more after the fact. There are no steps to climb! Eichlers are unlike most detached homes that are built on a “crawl” space, elevating the first floor off the ground, making it necessary to have several steps at the entry. Without knowing it, Eichler had built houses that allowed people to “Age in Place.”

The alternative to building in such features originally is extreme expense to make accessibility and aging modifications later. The typical home needs ramps—often not too good looking—or costly regrading and paving. Interior modifications could include substantial remodeling of the kitchen and bathrooms. Some homes simply can’t be modified, or the expense is simply beyond affordability. In essence, as people age or acquire disability, they are forced out of the family home. The worst-case scenario is life in a nursing facility for lack of the financial resources it takes to live in a high-quality senior or assisted living community.

Anyone buying or building a home would be wise to make Aging in Place a high, if not absolute, priority in their search or design. Think and plan ahead so your home will remain friendly throughout your lifetime, so your aging parents can continue to participate fully and independently in family activities, so your nephew who broke his leg skiing has an easier time of it, and so friends and colleagues with disabilities can be invited over for dinner and your next Super Bowl party.

When and if it’s time to sell the house, it will appeal to more buyers, who might already have seen seniors they know forced out of their homes because of accessibility issues.

Homebuilders and sellers still have a long way to go to recognize the marketing value of Aging in Place. The National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB) used to take the position that if people wanted accessibility in their homes, they’d be asking for it. The flaw in that reasoning is that people don’t expect to need it until it’s upon them, so are unlikely to ask for it in advance.

That is all changing. Now that the Baby Boomer generation is starting to swell the ranks of senior citizens, Aging in Place suddenly represents more of a market. A subset of the association, the NAHB Remodelers, gives out an annual “Homes for Life” award. Checklists for Aging in Place can be found on their website at www.nahb.org.
There is also a significant level of advocacy for Aging in Place, demonstrated by the National Aging In Place Council (NAIPC, www.naipc.org) which provides information, hosts events, advocates for policies and legislation, and educates design and construction professionals.

This design philosophy goes well beyond meeting the needs of wheelchair users. It is an approach that plans for limited abilities to lift, reach, crouch, or see. It’s about safety and security, as well as allowing for degrees or medical care at home. Here is how it applies to some areas of the home.

Front Entry
Not only should there be an entry that is free of steps, but the threshold should be flush to avoid any possible tripping. To ensure that water or cool air doesn’t get in, there are doors that can press a rubber gasket down against the threshold when closed. If a ramp is provided, steps should remain. Some seniors who walk find it more difficult to ascend an incline than to climb steps. The main entryway should be a protected area, where seniors don’t have to deal with the elements as they gently set down the groceries, get their reading glasses, find the right key, carefully  put it in the doorknob, open the door, pick up the bag, remove the key, and step inside.

Bathrooms
An elevated toilet spares you from having to sit—or transfer—over too much of a change in height.
Grab bars—or, more generally, “handholds”—should be sparingly. placed to ensure stability during sitting or standing or while stepping in or out of a tub/shower. New or remodeled bathrooms should include structural support in the walls for future installation of grab bars. Even the edge of a sink can be valuable as a handhold. Sharp edges and corners should always be avoided in any location where someone could slip and fall into them.

Sink heights should also be elevated, with removable cabinets for the day when a wheelchair becomes standard equipment in the home.

Provide handheld shower heads in a roll-in shower. If a tub must be used, install a sliding shower chair to ease transfers. Special tub seats are available that lower and raise a bather into and out of the tub, as well as bathtubs with a door on the side and a molded seat so you can get in, fill it up, and have a great soak.

Bedrooms
Lower curtain rods, and use the slick array of closet organizing products that make things easier to reach and see for everyone. Make sure there is plenty of light (to avoid those mismatched shirts and ties). For lamps, choose the type with rocker switches, rather than any type that requires pinching and fine dexterity. Use fitted bedspreads to avoid excess material that can trip someone or get caught by a crutch, walker, or wheel. Hospital beds and oxygen equipment might need extra electrical power.

The Kitchen
Provide lowered surfaces with legroom for sitting to cut vegetables and other food prep. Stove controls should be in the front so one never has to reach over a cooking pot or pan. A rack-mounted oven with a door that swings sideways allows the cook to get closer to take out a baking dish, ideally onto a sliding surface immediately underneath. Provide plenty of space for people to get by a sitting cook so the family can still share the process.

The Yard
Use raised beds for gardening, plant shade trees to limit sun exposure, and install boardwalk or other firm surfaces to allow for secure walking or ease of wheeling.

General Issues
As our eyes age, we need more light, so provide plenty, particularly underneath shelves and into closets and drawers. Articulating lamps with dimmer switches give optimal control of where to point it and how much. Stairways and doorways especially need plenty of light, as do any change in surface of any kind.

If using carpeting, install without a pad, choosing a tighter weave to make wheeling easier. Know that over time, tracks will inevitably get left in carpeting, so generally tile floors are best. When installing tile, keep grout joints mostly flush with the tile to minimize the “click-clack” of wheeling over it.

When building, have the contractor make an extra effort to ensure that floors are level. Modern wheelchairs are extremely sensitive to even the slightest floor slope.

Construction and remodeling for accessibility and safety take nuts and bolts and tools. The real final product, however, is quality of life, independence, and full participation in the daily goings on of the household and surrounding community—for as long as we live.