this morning again I am reminded that our needs in life can change in an instant. As I write I am sitting in a surgical area of the University of Iowa Hospitals in Iowa City, watching as my brother begin the rehab and recovery of a life changing severe car accident. In an instant with his shattered ankle and broken hip, in his 50's not old, he will probably not recover fully enough to be comfortable to climb stairs all the time or move as well as before. When we think about physical limitations unusually our thoughts envision maybe our parents or grand parents in their 80's or 90's. You know, walkers wheel chairs, but really look around, limitations are not always that obvious. It usually is more a pain issue that is aggravated by frequent use. Not bad enough to need the assistance of a walker or similar devise but severe enough to be painful and limiting. My brother will go home, eventually, to my parents current home to recover but will have 3 steps to enter the home which will be painful and without assistance will not be able to enter. If he came to our home to recover, there are no steps or tight doorways or kitchen appliances that he could not use, a walk-in knockout stylish ceramic shower spa that make it easy to stay clean and fresh without a great ordeal. Universal Design or a better word that we can all relate to is Visit-ability. Anyone who needs to comes to your home regardless of physical limitations can feel at comfortable and not put anyone out to accommodate their needs.
Certified Aging in Place Specialists (CAPS) are trained to make assessments of your current home or plan a new home to best anticipate your needs. A professional assessment can be as low as $100.00 to get a handle on what your needs might be. They will recommend the changes and be able to estimate what the costs might be to achieve the best living arrangements for you. They can recommend contractors who are familiar with this process and can best handle any changes you decide are necessary.This is life it happens. My wife recently had breast cancer surgery and although that will not limit her in a standard home her range of motion in one arm is limited and due to the Chemo therapy she is doing too tiring for her to go up and down the stairs. Thankfully in our home she does not need to. In spite of difficulties she is much more comfortable with her situation and can focus on getting healthy.
Again these decisions need to be made when we are healthy and not at the spur of the moment when staying at home is not a possibility without a major remodel. Bad enough to have issues but they are best managed both mentally and physically at home in comfortable and stylish all at the same time.
Call us now for an evaluation of your current home situation and see if you can be covered with your home needs in the future what ever life brings, and it nothing else a home that you are proud to call your own, new or remodeled.
Craig Fairbanks
CAPS
Certified Green Builder
319-553-1457
Craig@CraigFairbanksHomes.com
