Retirement News : Seniors : Remodeling Experts Make Homes Fit for Seniors

Remodeling Experts Make Homes Fit for Seniors

Date Added: 15-05-2005

LAKELAND
Anew bathroom kept Gloria Sage, 80, at home with Frank, her husband of 59 years, instead of moving to a nursing facility.
"I was determined I was not going to have to do that," said Gloria Sage, when she lost feeling in her legs a year ago. "I like the idea of the shower the way it is. It's very helpful."

The Sages turned to Davis Remodeling Contractors Inc. in Lakeland when they needed to remodel their bathroom to give Gloria Sage easy access in her walker or wheelchair.

The new bathroom includes a roll-in shower with a seat, handheld showerhead and chair-level controls on one side for her and a standard shower on the other side for him, said Frank Sage, 82. Until it was installed last year, he had to give his wife sponge baths while she lay in bed.

"There was no way I could keep bathing her," he said. "This is real neat now."

Tim Davis is one of 695 U.S. housing contractors holding a Certified Aging-In-Place (CAPS) designation from the Remodelers Council of the National Association of Home Builders. The AARP, the Washington-based senior citizens advocacy group, developed the CAPS program with the council in 2001.

His company has done dozens of CAPS-related projects since his certification in 2003, said Davis, who expects it will become a growing part of his business.

"It's a new marketplace, but as the baby boomers are getting older, more and more people want to stay in their homes," he said. "It will definitely be a big market in the future."

The CAPS program instructs contractors on the principles of "universal design," also known as "barrier-free living," which removes obstacles in homes of standard design for people with disabilities, including senior citizens.

The remodeling often makes the difference in allowing people like Gloria Sage to remain in their homes instead of relocating to nursing or assisted-living facilities, Davis said.

The CAPS training included an eye-opening experience in what people with disabilities face in coping with the kinds of everyday tasks most people take for granted, said Sunny Zimmermann, the president of Zimmermann Associates Inc. in Lakeland, one of just three Polk County contractors with the CAPS designation. Alan Green of Green Construction Services Inc. of Lakeland is the third.

For an entire day, participants had to function holding tennis balls in each hand, which were covered with socks to keep the balls in place; wearing eyeglasses smeared with vaseline; and moving around in a wheelchair or a device that immobilizes one leg, Zimmermann said.

Among the exercises that day was writing a pen-and-paper report with hands disabled by the tennis balls, meant to simulate a crippling injury, such as severe arthritis, he said. Unlike their customers, however, the contractors could drop the pretense at the end of the day.

"You felt like you were healed. You felt like you were given the gift of recovery," Zimmermann said. "It makes you realize they're not being too demanding."

Demanding, that is, when seeking universal design to accommodate their special needs, he added.

CAPS projects include everything from installing "grab bars," or handlebars, in an existing shower or beside a toilet to complete room remodelings, particularly kitchens and bathrooms, Davis and Zimmermann said. Items include:

lowering cabinets and countertops to wheelchair height;

raising countertops, dishwashers, stoves and other appliances for people with back problems that make it difficult to bend;

removing carpeting to expose hardwood floors or replacing carpeting with floor tile for easier mobility on a wheelchair;

creating spaces under countertops and ranges to accomodate wheelchairs;

installing roll-out cabinet shelving;

removing bathtubs for roll-in showers;

widening hallways and doorways for greater mobility with walkers and wheelchairs; and

replacing steps outside and inside with ramps.

In some cases the difference between the standard and universal designs measures as little as six inches, Davis said, but "that six inches could be a lifesaver to some people."

After first contact with a potential client, a company representative will visit the home for a free consultation regarding the person's physical needs and possible home redesigns to eliminate barriers, Davis and Zimmermann said.

If the client agrees to proceed, the CAPS contractor will require a fee to cover design costs, if any. Davis said the fee ranges from $750 to $1,500 paid in advance. Zimmermann said his company will bill $75 an hour for design.

That first meeting often requires the contractor show great sensitivity to the prospective client, who may still feel vulnerable after recently acquiring his or her disability, Zimmermann said.

"I'd say the biggest concern is a lot of customers are too trusting," he said. "A lot of people make too many changes that affect the market value of their home."

A CAPS contractor should perform the minimum amount of remodeling necessary for the client to cope, Zimmermann added. Too many alterations lower the home's resale value when the client moves out and sells to a non-disabled buyer.

The final design will come with an itemized budget, Davis and Zimmermann said.

Remodeling costs could total as low as $300 to install grab bars and other simple mobility additions, Davis said. A completely remodeled bathroom could cost $10,000 to $15,000 and a new kitchen from $25,000 to $30,000.

Construction times also vary from a single day to several months, depending upon the size of the project and availability of supplies. Some special fixtures can take six to eight weeks for delivery, Zimmermann said.

Both AARP (aarp.org) and the National Association of Home Builders (nahb.org) have links to help people find a CAPS contractor in your area.

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