Universal Design

    The home should be the treasure chest of living. -Le Corbusier Once in a while I’m delighted by someone else’s thoughts; so much so, I’d wish I had written them. This is such a case…A guest post by Ronny Wiskin:    Home, a place with familiar surroundings having provided years of memorable events. Staying in your home might still be your best option. Why are so many mature adults moving after investing a considerable amount of time and resources into their properties? Before making that decision, why not investigate options that are available to

 (Photo Reuters) The lover is a monotheist who knows that other people worship different gods but cannot himself imagine that there could be other gods. -Theodor Reik, Of Love and Lust, 1957 When I was working as a nurse’s aide during my under-graduate days in a nursing home we had a resident with a girlfriend who made conjugal visits. We all were aware of the scheduled times and pulled the curtain on his semi-private room during these encounters. Even his roommate “Sam” who’s stroke left him in a wheelchair with

  The really frightening thing about middle age is that you know you'll grow out of it! — Doris Day  A tweet from Kohler got me thinking: What do you think of Barbie's new eco-friendly dream home from Mattel and;@AIANational http://huff.to/obGmER? We love the low-flow toilet!  Seems Barbie is trending green after years of Pink convertibles and end-less wardrobes; not exactly a sustainability lifestyle (making up for past sins?). The joint effort is a synergy of The AIA and Mattel, who have teamed up for the design competition in honor of

  Old age is like everything else. To make a success of it, you've got to start young.  -Fred Astaire I returned from Europe last week, which always gives me a fresh perspective on my own country. Yesterday doing pre-holiday tasks I got caught up in the bustle of shopping and completing my to-do list. I was in an old school hardware store watching customers buy plastic American flags, charcoal briquettes, portable grills, and soft drinks—the usual stuff. I began to notice a trend with the folks around me that I didn’t

  Everything I do is the environment. -Arthur Boyd Green Home Modifications for Elder Comfort and Safety I told my grandmother about our plans and asked her to walk through the house with me to share any problems she might currently have or could envision in the future. Her first suggestion was to move everything upstairs, including her bed, to a lower floor, but this seemed impractical. Instead, we’re going to look at reconditioned stair lifts. Most have been used for only a short time, and we like the idea of being able to