A Universal Design Project: Planning to Age in Place? Find a Contractor Now

Thursday 8 June 2017

Planning to Age in Place? Find a Contractor Now

Please note: Original article published May 19, 2017 by Paula Span of The New Old Age in The New York Times. Shared on FB by IDeA and posted here because it is a relevant read...

Joyce Hesselberth

“All the carpets are coming up, so they won’t be a trip hazard,” said Ernie MacNeill, walking through the split-level house in Fair Lawn, N.J., that he is remodeling for a client who struggles to walk.

Mr. MacNeill also plans to widen a bathroom door to provide better access for a wheelchair or walker. “We’ll knock this closet back,” he added. The home’s owner, Elliot Goldberg, 71, currently has to transfer from one stair lift to another to reach his third-level bedroom and bath. Moving the second-floor closet will make space for a new lift that can turn the corner and proceed upstairs, a far safer configuration.

Mr. Goldberg, a Vietnam veteran with multiple health problems, has lived on this quiet suburban street for 30 years. His wife died four years ago, but he shares the house with their daughter and grandson.

He could move to a single-floor apartment or an assisted living facility, but like most older people, he wants to stay put. “I have a lot of good memories here,” he said.

So he turned to Mr. MacNeill, a longtime contractor in nearby Pine Brook. In 2014, Mr. MacNeill took a three-day course through the National Association of Home Builders to become a Certified Aging in Place Specialist, or CAPS.

Read More:

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/19/health/aging-in-place-contractors.html?smid=tw-share&_r=1

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About AUDP:

A Universal Design Project was established to help lead a shift in construction and rehab to a more universal standard in order to meet the diverse needs of the general population.

Based in St. Louis, MO, our focus is inspiring thoughtful construction or reconstruction of real property to appeal to a multi-demographic. We advise on how to re-purpose outdated houses and buildings as a means to minimize the environmental impact of construction while adding social and economic value and extending the useful life of otherwise functionally obsolete properties.

Advising and educating about UD as a crucial element of the planning process helps maximize the value of a project's functional life and minimize costs spent on expensive retrofits brought on by poor planning.

Universal Design is the key to a more economically and efficiently run society and this statement is backed up my personal and professional observations. I have been working in real estate since 2003 and I am motivated by my life as a parent raising my daughter Mia who was born with a spinal cord injury and relies on a walker, wheelchair and canes to navigate life. On a daily basis, my work in real estate shows me the lack and my life with Mia illustrates the need. I live this, so my objective with this project is sharing the knowledge gained in both roles and through my studies of universal design with a goal of making life easier for people to live fully functioning lives that allow them to thrive and not just exist, in their homes and beyond.

It remains my hope these efforts will inspire others to work toward the same. It's a big world out there and we have got to work together on this enormous task to make it a truly universal success story.

Respectfully,

Amy Barnes

Universal design makes living easier for EVERYONE.

Universal Design, also knows as Inclusive Design or Design for All, is more than an industry buzz term or the latest fad in residential design and construction. It is smart design.

In layman's terms, it's style meeting accessibility. At it's core, it's a baseline of human centered design principles to be followed with thoughtfulness and creativity during the planning process before a project's construction phase begins.

Applied universal design allows efficient and effective use of time, energy and resources. It is a concept that applies to the built environment as well as products and services that accommodate a global user without stigmatizing.

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Thursday 8 June 2017

Planning to Age in Place? Find a Contractor Now

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