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I think you are confusing me with the poster to whom I was responding. If you re-read my post you will see that I was not advocating that people with disabilities should put a gun to their heads. I'm not sure the other poster was either, but I am too lazy to go back and check. You are generally quite fair-minded, and so I was surprised at your mis-representation of my point of view. As for your example of wearing glasses, I have worn them full-time since the second grade, and that was a very, very long time ago.
My post was an attempt to summarize two opposing attitudes toward preparations for getting old. I did not say that one attitude was "right" and the other "wrong".
Perhaps I misconstrued this statement:
There is a philosophical issue underlying this whole discussion. Why are we so ready to accept being crippled, or disabled , or whatever word we want to use for it? It is not inevitable that everyone winds up that way...
Although I agree that it is not inevitable that *everyone* winds up this way - it is inevitable for some people. Doesn't mean people shouldn't eat healthy - get some exercise - etc. It just means that some people are going to wind up in bad shape no matter what they do.
FWIW - I think that we have to think about these issues more as medicine keeps coming up with ways to prevent us from dying of things in our 50's and 60's and early 70's - things many people used to die from 50-75 years ago. Means many of us will live into our 80's - 90's - even older (and perhaps not in the best of health either). Robyn
It's not totally new (the oldest is in Boston - and it's about 10 years old).
The problem is that the ones that are inexpensive rely a lot on volunteers. Sometimes to do things they shouldn't be doing. In fact - the pictures in your link show a man who might be in his 60's installing an outdoor electrical fixture on a somewhat older woman's porch (he doesn't seem to be in an entirely safe position to me). So - assuming junior seniors want to volunteer and help their more elderly neighbors - and there are many more "givers" than "takers" - things should theoretically work out. But what if 70% of the people in the village are over 80 - and there are more "takers" than "givers"?
And - like I said - theoretically. I know people volunteer to help other people. But how much time are they willing to devote to it - and what are they willing to do? I'll gladly take a friend to a doctor's appointment or go shopping for them or cook food for them if they're ill. But 2-3 days a week for 4 years? I don't think so. Nor do I want to weed their flower beds - mow their lawn - clean their house - etc.
FWIW - you see similar demographic patterns in other situations. Like golf course communities in Florida where people moved in when they were 60ish - and now everyone is 80ish - and fewer people are playing golf - and the community can't support the golf course. Robyn
We're in a tri-level house with alot of stairs. It's the hauling of the groceries up to the kitchen - and the laundry haul - that gets old. We've been here 14 years - and will probably stay here - at least until I retire - in 8 or 9 years...
Another thing to consider if you're planning to stay where you are for at least 8 years is a remodel now. Perhaps a "dumbwaiter" type of thing so you can get the groceries to the kitchen more easily. Relocating your laundry facilities to a more convenient place. Etc. Sometimes small changes can make a big difference. Robyn
When I was a young associate in a boutique business law firm, I had the geriatric duty. That meant meeting with seniors in hospitals and nursing homes, handling last arrangements, coping with the financial calamities of our clients' elderly parents, mental health commitments, etc.
Over and over I heard the stories of why pop was in the nursing home in the first place and it seemed like it was always a fall. "He was doing just fine until he fell down the porch steps, blah, blah, blah." It was sad. And, it made me think.
The first thing I tell my friends who have elderly and infirm parents is to load the stepstool and the step ladder the lawn mower, power saw, etc. in the car and take them away. Then make arrangements for others to change the light bulbs, cut the grass, etc. There is nothing honorable or important about changing a light bulb or carrying the laundry down the basement stairs. Of course our elders don't want meddling in their affairs, but so what. We don't want them to be in the hospital with a broken hip. Too bad.
And when it is my turn, I swear not to complain that I can't clean the gutters on my roof or run the string trimmer. I swear!
And you don't have to be old or out of shape to get hurt on a ladder:
We have 2 absolute rules in our house. No ladders except on solid surfaces (indoors or on concrete outside) - and no chainsaws.
Also - many people with mobility/stability problems (including babies) do what is called "furniture walking" - grabbing on to anything that happens to be around when they're not steady. So it's important that anything that's "grabable" be solid and sturdy enough to support a person's weight. Robyn
We have 2 absolute rules in our house. No ladders except on solid surfaces (indoors or on concrete outside) - and no chainsaws.
Also - many people with mobility/stability problems (including babies) do what is called "furniture walking" - grabbing on to anything that happens to be around when they're not steady. So it's important that anything that's "grabable" be solid and sturdy enough to support a person's weight.
I'm not saying your wrong, Robyn. I do have to tell a story though.
My father was an agile and proud man well into his seventies. I think he last got up on my roof with me to fix a chimney problem when he was about 74 or 75.
I remember well his last attempt to use a ladder. He was about 80 and was doing work inside his home which has cathedral ceilings. He had set up a ladder and was doing prep work because he intended to do some painting. Everything was actually going well.
The only problem was the ladder was a bit old and had been damaged. He got about eight feet up and the rung of the ladder he was standing on broke underneath him. He fell eight feet.
His worst injury was a gash about an inch long on his right arm. The doctor stitched it and he was fine. There was no stopping that man at any age.
He was not your typical senior citizen. Less than eight months before he died of cancer, he was telling me he was so bored with retirement, he wanted to find some volunteer work to do. He was 83 at that time. Even near the very end of his life, he did his best to be functional. One of my last memories of him was hauling the garbage cans out to the curve. The cancer had gotten into his spine by than, but he was still able to function. I think that was about two weeks before he died. A week before he passed away he managed to drive the car to the local credit union to conduct his financial affairs.
I hope you can forgive my digression. Its "sort of" on topic.
I agree that stairs and other obstacles can be a danger to the elderly, but sometimes they just fall for no darn reason at all. My Mom and I used to wonder why her friend (a bit older) was constantly falling and landing in the hospital. "Why isn't she just more careful?", we'd say. But now it's happening to my Mom (now 89). She's fallen quite a few times in the past year, and is now in assisted-living in a wheelchair. I don't know if it's a balance thing as they get older, or what.
Anyway, just a few things that haven't been mentioned:
I have severe back issues that make it very painful to bend over, so my wall oven is a godsend. Also, I have two very tall medicine cabinets in the bathroom, so I don't have to store too many everyday items underneath the sink. I've also replaced my dishes with lightweight Corelle, glasses with Tervis Tumblers, and heavy Circulon pots with Rival. I have pull-out drawers in the kitchen cabinets to reduce the bending. I have a counter-height kitchen table and adjustable stools to reduce the stress of getting in and out of low chairs.
Meanwhile, my mother struggles with even the simplest of tasks that you wouldn't even give a second thought to. She couldn't turn the lock in her room in the assisted-living facility (weak, arthritic hands); they had to put a new lock in. She can't open the bottles of water in her fridge, or pop the lids off the ginger ale. Before she moved in there, I had to buy her oversized sheets for her mattress because she struggled so much with the tightly fitted sheet. She was not able to stand on her feet long in the kitchen to prepare a meal, so she had a chair on wheels that she would just roll around on. She's not able to see the thermostat, she's too short and the letters/numbers are too small for her to read. Just so many things that become obstacles as they get older...
Two points from your original post. Grab bars are good wherever possible. I know they are not attractive, but anywhere a person is negotiating a close space they will help. These are usually limited to the bath, but they can be a big help in closets and in the kitchen. Properly installed on the front face of cabinets or the wall next to the oven or dishwasher, they can steady a person who is bending over to deal with the appliances. Don't hesitate to use them.
Second, lighting is as you said, important. The new CF bulbs are a help in that leaving them on is no longer as big a cost and possible fire hazard as incandescent. Just this week, I had left a CF in a clip on reflector base, on inadvertently in the garage and it fell into a plastic garbage can and was on all day in that position. No problem, it was still cool when I flipped it off the next day. I hesitate to think what a 100 watt IC bulb might have done. And CF bulbs can be put in tightly packed closets without the fear of fire. And, 13 watts is not that big a deal if pop leaves it on all day.
I like the motion sensor lights and light bases that will turn on night lights for example when you walk into the bath or when you approach the stairs or open a closet door. the bases screw into the bulb fixture then a cf bulb goes in the base. The LED nightlights are self contained. I have a lot of motion sensor lights inside and outside. Although, my cat sets them off as he wanders around the house at night.
I'd like to see the invention of a sturdy step ladder with handles and that moves up and down by some motorized thing. You know, you get on it at ground level, hold on, push a button and it moves up to the height you need it to and then back to the ground so you can easily step off.
Lower bathtub sides would be good, too, for us short old people. I have a lot of problems with that (high sided tubs) in hotels.
I'd like to see the invention of a sturdy step ladder with handles and that moves up and down by some motorized thing. You know, you get on it at ground level, hold on, push a button and it moves up to the height you need it to and then back to the ground so you can easily step off.
Lower bathtub sides would be good, too, for us short old people. I have a lot of problems with that (high sided tubs) in hotels.
I like those tubs with a door that opens up to walk in but I have heard they are a rip off, price wise. That product could be produced cheaply if anyone cared to do so.
I agree that stairs and other obstacles can be a danger to the elderly, but sometimes they just fall for no darn reason at all. My Mom and I used to wonder why her friend (a bit older) was constantly falling and landing in the hospital. "Why isn't she just more careful?", we'd say. But now it's happening to my Mom (now 89). She's fallen quite a few times in the past year, and is now in assisted-living in a wheelchair. I don't know if it's a balance thing as they get older, or what.
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The theory now, I believe, is that women loose bone density as they age. This means a lot of falls are due to the bone cracking first, then the fall happens due to the bone lacking support. This is why they advise women to start getting bone density tests at a certain point in life. Some men have this problem, too, but they start out, usually, with denser bones than women do.
I think I read that blond blue-eyed types have this problem more than others, but my memory is not great, so don't quote that.
This is not a matter of home construction, but we have a platform bed. We find that it is too low for us, having to push ourselves up with our arms to get out of the thing. We are considering a Temperpedic next: evidently the company sells an adjustable 'hospital' bed frame for it that we'd love. My husband has GERD and elevating the top part of the body a bit really helps him to sleep better.
If a person does have a two story or more house and the space and money are available, they could always get an elevator installed. Our little town has a small library on a second floor which has a small elevator on the ground level.
Last edited by goldengrain; 11-29-2011 at 01:09 PM..
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