64 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • NOVEMBER 2019
PRESS HOME
AGING IN PLACE WITH GRACE
continued from page 63
STYLISH ACCESSIBILITY
These days, homeowners have a wide
range of cool design options that can
help them age in place with grace.
“Good universal design aims to provide
enhancements to one’s living
environment by making it safer for
daily functioning and navigation,”
says Tonia Omeltchenko of Fox +
Chenko Interiors, a local design
firm.
She suggests levers instead of knobs
on doors and faucets, motion-activated
faucets and lighting, pullouts for
easier access in kitchen and bathroom
cabinetry, and smart technology such
as voice-activated lighting..
A certified aging in place specialist
can retrofit a senior’s home with a
great security system for around the
same cost as one month in an assisted
living facility. These systems are not
exclusively designed for caregiving.
Aesthetic solutions that can make
living spaces geriatric-friendly on
any budget include widening doorways
to accommodate a walker or
wheelchair, reachable pullout storage
solutions, and towel racks that can
double as grab bars when balance
grows unsteady. Consider lowered
countertops with freezer and microwave
drawers underneath, open
spaces under the cooktop and sink,
and trendy wall-mounted bathroom
sinks that also leave space for walkers
and wheelchairs.
CHANGING NEEDS
Seniors and their families should
think ahead. The National Institute
on Aging suggests that a caregiver
for an older adult learn how to get
the support needed to stay at home.
“Rethinking the layout of your home
can result in new ways to use an old
space, or a more efficient use of your
square footage,” says Jean Brownhill,
founder and CEO of Sweeten, a free
service that matches renovators with
vetted general contractors. “Being
smart about storage not only means
items are easily within arm's reach,
it ensures clutter is tucked away so
that surfaces and floor space have a
clear path.”
Among Sweeten’s projects that
helped seniors age at home comfortably
was a family whose aging
mother needed a one-floor living
situation so she wouldn’t need stairs
to use the bathroom or kitchen. That
meant converting an extra room on
the first floor into a senior-friendly
bathroom adjacent to her bedroom.
So the contractor installed an easyto
slide pocket door between the
bedroom and bathroom, a handle
on the outside of the shower, an
ADA-compliant toilet, and ensured
the curbless shower entry was large
enough for a shower chair.
EMOTIONAL VS. PHYSICAL
"There there are two main issues
that seniors and their families face
and should consider when planning
for the future: physical challenges
such as diminishing vision and
mobility, and emotional strains of
loneliness and depression,” says
Omeltchenko.
To address the physical needs of the
individual, consider access to all
levels at home, additional lighting,
lever knobs to make using doors and
faucets easier, removing rugs and
mats, and choosing furniture that is
safe and comfortable.
As for emotional needs, consider
bright, happy colors, drawing enough
natural sunlight to improve moods,
avoiding clutter to improve daily
functioning, and incorporating heirlooms
and photographs to highlight
treasured memories.
“This topic hits close to home for
both of us, says Jennifer Fox of Fox
+ Chenko Interiors. “Nothing makes
us happier than being able to design
beautiful spaces to celebrate lives
being well lived.”
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