Aging in Place
DreamMaker is a certified Aging-in-Place builder. This article from the Winston-Salem Journal highlights the benefits of aging-in-place renovations to your kitchen, bath or entire home and the peace and dignity it can give to your family and loved ones.
Houses can be modified to accommodate special needs of elderly or ailing owners
More than 50 years ago, Robert and the late Virgie Kinch bought a 1928 farmhouse nestled in seven wooded acres. Together they made it their own.
They removed walls to create a spacious, open floor plan, and added cedar-shake siding to the exterior. They planted a lush vegetable garden and cultivated an orchard that includes apple, pear, pecan and walnut trees, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries - and a Japanese persimmon tree with fruit as big as tangerines. The yard is a testament to Virgie, a master gardener who taught horticulture at Forsyth Tech and started the annual greenhouse plant sale at the Arboretum at Tanglewood Park.
Together they raised two children.
When Virgie suffered her second stroke and was diagnosed with stage four, multiple myeloma, Robert made changes to the home that enabled his wife to keep living there.
"She stayed here until the end," he said.
He added a handle at the door to the carport, even though she had told him, "‘I don't need that handle.'"
"It was the biggest help to her before she was completely wheelchair-bound," he said.
"She fussed about the changes I was making," Robert said. He told her: "I'm going to do it; you can just fuss at me."
In most older homes, bathroom doorways are too narrow for a wheelchair. Robert renovated all three bathrooms with the help of DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen, a division of Anderson-Moore Builders Inc. In the downstairs bathroom, he added a tub with a seat and a doorway so she could slide into it. He installed a shower of man-made marble in the master bathroom that a wheelchair can roll into. Surrounding each toilet, he added sleek grab rails that fold up when they're not needed.
Their bedrooms were upstairs, so he eventually put a bed for her in the study on the ground floor.
Virgie was able to enjoy the improvements for nearly two years before she died.
Erik Anderson, Vice President of DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen, said that there has been a fundamental shift: 15 to 20 years ago, it was common for people to pack up and move to a retirement place or Florida, he said. It's different now.
"So many people want to stay where they are," Anderson said. In order for people to do that, "You've got to make your home safer."
"It's cheaper to modify your existing home than to move. It's all about quality of life."
When Anderson's father learned that he had Parkinson's disease, he did not want to spend money to renovate his home. Anderson suspects that's because his father was born during the Depression, and frugality was ingrained into him. "Mom and I agreed: 'We're going to do this.'"
Making a home safe and accessible includes a wide range of strategies with varying costs. Installing a handle between two rooms can cost about $100. But it must be installed properly on a sturdy surface. Renovating an entire bathroom can cost thousands.
"I look at it as an investment," said Kinch, 77, who retired from R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. He continues to work as a consultant in computer and network support for Avoca Inc.
Each person's needs are different: A person who cannot use her left side will have different challenges than a person with ALS.
"Everything is individualized," said Kristin Brown, a physical therapist at Forsyth Medical Center.
Some safety improvements are simple. First, remove clutter, extension cords, rugs and any other obstacles that might trip a person with a cane or walker or who cannot lift his or her feet.
Bathroom safety is also important. For someone who cannot afford a complete bathroom renovation, a non-slipping tub bench with a handle helps a person sit and slide into a tub safely. Placing a sturdy chair partway down a long hallway can provide a resting place for someone who tires easily. In the kitchen, placing a stool or chair in front of a counter enables a person to work at the counter while sitting down. And someone using a walker can learn how to transport things by sliding them along the counter or using a basket attached to a walker.
Adjusting bed heights can meet the needs of someone who is in a wheelchair or who is standing with a walker or cane. Adding bed rails provides a surface for someone to push up from in order to stand.
There are many gadgets for people who may be unable to use both hands: bowls with suction cups, cutting boards with edges and knife slots, roller knives, gripping doorknob covers, lever handles and tap lights can be effective additions.
Some changes are more costly, like installing a ramp that meets standards for the Americans with Disabilities Act.
"We try to link to community resources when we recommend a ramp," Brown said, adding that many churches build these for folks.
Improvements don't need to look institutional: DreamMaker has installed a grab bar that doubles as a soap dish. "It's part of universal design," Anderson said.
That term was created by the late Ron Mace, a nationally recognized architect who grew up in Winston-Salem. In 1950 he got polio. For much of his life, Mace used a wheelchair. His life's work resulted in a new awareness of design that meets the needs for a broad definition of users while still being attractive and marketable.
"Nobody wants to live anywhere besides their home," said Kelly Lambeth, who works at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. She is the clinical coordinator of rehabilitation services at Comp Rehab. "Home is where the heart is."