Category Archives: Livable Community

SafeGraySpace

14 Thursday Jan 2016

Posted by in Aging in Place. Seniors, Alzheimers, Boomers, Economic Insecurity, Elders, Livable Community, Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, ,

I phoned my step-dad yesterday. I wanted to take him over to the duplex to show it to him. The trash was cleaned out. The walls had been white-washed with cheap paint to hide the remains of their dark history. With this initial step completed, I wanted to introduce my step-dad to where I’d be moving to.

He lives right up the street from me in a Retirement Community. I visit with him often.  When I called, he didn’t recognize who I was. Sometimes, it’s just that he literally can’t hear who is calling. He’s sporadically used a hearing aid for decades; when he could remember where he put it or simply to use it. But, he has Alzheimer’s, so more often than not, he really doesn’t know who is who or what goes where.

After the required re-establishment of who I was, where he was and why I was calling, he explained that he was too busy. He could not go anywhere because he was helping someone get a cane; that someone is his constant companion at the Retirement Community. He couldn’t recall her name but I gently inserted it into my next sentence when I kindly asked him to please be sure to tell her I said hello.

She has memory issues as well. I watched her mobility deteriorate steadily during 2015, but her hearing is intact. She can tell him when his cell phone is ringing. He remains physically fit and can help her hobble around. They make a good team; they keep each other occupied.

That’s what Almost Eighty looks like; he is 79, she’s 78. They majority of the residents where they live, have nearly identical issues. Those fortunate residents have the financial security to ensure this kind of safe, secure, comfortable elder- life-style. It is the institutional version of  my wish for a SafeGraySpace.

In two quick decades, millions of us will be 80. Unfortunately, many don’t have such robust, financial resources.

Fear not. May I Introduce Section 504; the Home Repair program that provides loans and grants to improve homes for the elderly. At 62 you can qualify for a loan/ grant combo of $27,500 at 1%. You have to be low-income. A USDA home loan specialist can help if this is a program that can help someone in need.

I’m not going to wait till I’m 62. I hope I’m not officially low-income at that time; better keep my day job.

2015’s End

31 Thursday Dec 2015

Posted by in Elders, Galveston, Grandparenting, Gun Control, Livable Community, Love, Mental illness, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

,

I feel stranded. My battery is dead. When I tried to start my car yesterday; nothing. Not a click, not a sound. It feels like more than just that.

I was headed over to the duplex I bought in 2015; the one where I was going to begin my SafeGraySpaces project. The place I planned to renovate into a elder friendly, barrier-free, tiny-home for my own aging-in- place.

I’d ‘inherited’ renters. They had a lease when I bought it. Now, they’re officially delinquent. My upstairs tenant called to tell me it appeared the downstairs tenants  were moving out. Fare thee well free-loaders.

2015’s final two weeks were particularly strange; including a sad phone call asking for help locating the two young children whose 73 year old, great-grandmother had shot her husband to death in the wee hours of Christmas morning. Worst Christmas  ever for  too many innocent people.

At reunions over the past few summers I’d spent hours with this great-grandmother and these two young children. She’d been raising them since they were babies. Their love for one another was obvious. What happens to push a great-grandmother to uncharacteristic, violent action? Evidently, true desperation!

Three days before that horrible incident, I’d  witnessed the whale stranding on the West End of the island. I’ve had the amazing privilege  of kayaking along side whales in the Sea of Cortez.

To see this gentle giant so far from it’s normal, deep ocean home, struggling to simply take it’s final breath; split my heart to pieces. Witnessing this mystical creature flailing and suffering so much, was deeply disturbing. I quietly said goodbye and slowly wandered away.

I’ll head outside in a few minutes when there is enough daylight to see. I’ll clean my terminals off and see if my car starts. If it does, I’ll venture over and check on the duplex. Who knows what I’ll find remaining there?

I bid goodbye to all parts of 2015 and all it’s memories. Welcome 2016!

 

Fundamental Steps to create a Safe Gray Space

27 Friday Feb 2015

Posted by in AARP, Accessible Home, Aging in Place. Seniors, Boomers, HomeDepot, livability, Livable Community, Lowe's, Ott-Lites

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , ,

Simple principles can be utilized to modify an existing home and create a more effective space for aging in place. Though these concepts will reduce risk factors for any occupant, they’re particularly relevant for an elder resident’s safety. Enabling dignified self-sufficiency and functional independence are the desired outcomes.

Lighting- Vision gets worse over time. If I could reverse one thing about my own aging process, this would be it. (I am not a candidate for corrective surgery.) Providing proper lighting is not difficult. The lack of it, makes activities of daily living more difficult. The entire space should be well lit. I have several Ott-Lites that I rely upon, one by my couch, another on my bedside table and one in my office. Illuminated rocker switches are better/easier to see and use than traditional toggle light switches. If you can increase natural lighting, this has multiple health benefits; pets and plants require sunlight. Balance the quest for more light against the problem of unwanted glare.

Doors-  Replace doorknobs with lever-style hardware. Turning knobs can become painful and frustrating with stiff joints and loss of grip that often develops over time. Make sure the locking mechanism functions smoothly; update/upgrade if necessary. Trying to force open a difficult lock will annoy almost anyone but can become a real nightmare for a locked-out elder. Duplicate keys should be given to trusted neighbors; just in case. Consider a lighted key-chain for the front door key. (AARP sent one when I enrolled) Also investigate Security Door-Viewers; confidence is empowering. Check out Lowe’s $20 Giant-Screen version. In fact, Lowe’s has an entire department dedicated to the Accessible Home.

Floors – All floors must be slip-resistant. Get rid of area rugs. Install nonskid tape under rugs that you cannot part with. Optimum Technologies Lok Lift Rug Gripper for Runners, 4-Inch by 25-Feet runs around $10. Eliminate slip/trip points like thresholds wherever possible, or reduce their height. For those who use walkers or canes, low-pile carpeting is safest so the device doesn’t catch and cause a fall.

Stairs- For those living on more than one level, stairs can be especially dangerous. Install skid-resistant carpet treads. Sturdy handrails on both sides of the staircase, if possible are mandatory. Clearly defined steps that indicate where the edge of the tread is, will help prevent falls. 3M has a complete product line.

Entryways – Juggling keys, packages, and mail can unbalance someone entering or exiting. Have a chair, table, bench, or other flat surface for setting things down. Hang an accessible key-hook rack. In addition, provide bright lighting at entryways. Home Depot and Lowe’s both have a wide array of motion detector outdoor lighting. Solar pathway lights should be installed and can also be used in an emergency to provide lighting for nighttime power failures. Homebrite Solar 3 Way LED Path Lights, set of 4, $50 is a wise buy.

Bathroom – The best return-on-investment!
A no-threshold shower (walk-in/step-in) with canted floor (very gradual slope to drain) and well placed grab bars are essential to make bathing safer. These must be strategically installed so they are structurally sound and can handle weight. Put grab bars in the shower, by the toilet and sink and other areas in the room where you may need to steady someone or help support a wet, slippery, full-sized human. A single-handled faucet control reduces the chance of scalding at the sink, and a pressure-balanced control does the same in the shower. A hand-held shower head (Home Depot’s $50.00 Waterpic with 5′ hose) was extremely helpful to me when I was recovering from knee surgery. An accident and subsequent operation gave me first-hand experience with mobility challenges. Last, but not least, the $50 Lowe’s hand-held toilet bidet sprayer helps promote personal hygiene and preserve dignity.

Sidewalks- Streets made safer with adequate sidewalks are better for everyone; people walking to work, a parent pushing a stroller, a child riding a bicycle to school. The shared space created by a neighborhood sidewalk encourages community. City officials need time to honor this concept. Begin the process now.