Empowering The Mature Mind - SUMMER 2014 Newsletter

We provide CONSULTING and Winter, 2014
DESIGN SERVICES that allow
both HOMEOWNERS and INDUSTRY
PROFESSIONALS to create successful
& EMPOWERING housing solutions for
our “second half ” of life!
Featured Project: Remodel for a Paraplegic desiring more
independence in the bathroom – LOOK INSIDE!
A Newsletter by Aaron D. Murphy,
Printed on: August 5, 2014
Issue#07 Summer, 2014
Managing Editor at Empowering The Mature Mind,
Licensed Architect and Owner of ADM Architecture,
Certified Aging In Place & In Community Specialist
www.EmpoweringtheMatureMind.com info@EmpoweringTheMatureMind.com

What’s NEW at EtMM?
We have been presenting “Successful Aging in Place” subjects locally in the
Seattle area over the last few months, at locations such as:
1) Seattle’s NW Universal Design Council
2) Port Ludlow Senior Center, South Bay Association educ. Courses
3) “Meet the Author” – Book reading, Eagle Harbor Books, Bainbridge Is.,Wa
Upcoming Courses & Locations include:
1) Reid Real Estate, Silverdale Wa.
2) Bainbridge Parks & Rec. / Senior Center, Bainbridge Is., Wa.
3) Housing Washington, State Conference – Oct. ’14, Tacoma, Wa.
4) Seattle Home Show, “Nectargy” Stage, Sunday 10/5/14 – Seattle, Wa.
Check out our website at www.EmpoweringTheMatureMind.com to
see what topics and subject matter we can present on, and let us know
if your city, county, area agency on aging, or regional builders &
contractors could use the education we provide, thanks!
Aging In Place: 5 Steps to
Designing a Successful Living
Environment for Your Second
Half of Life
Now available on
Amazon.com as a hard copy,
or as an E-book for your
Kindle, Nook, etc. !!!
Know someone with a product or service related to Boomers and their families?
Tell them about EtMM and our sponsorship opportunities with webinars, podcasts, speaking
engagements, website, and radio show too!

Issue#07 Summer, 2014 Printed on: August 5, 2014
Product Focus – R&D for A.I.P.
There are many pieces to the “Aging in Place” puzzle. Here are a couple of great examples where the product
R&D world is independently way further down the road than the house as a whole… but it all plays a part in
your ability to keep a loved on home longer! Take a look…
“LiftWare” by Lift Labs Design: Stabilize Your Hand Tremor
Liftware cancels tremor to bring the joy back to mealtime.
Pick it up
Sensors in the handle detect
your hand tremor.
Start eating
Liftware quickly responds to your
tremor and steadies what you hold
http://www.liftlabsdesign.com/
Spill less
Shift attention away from spilling and
onto the people you're with
http://www.peta-uk.com/
Nail Clippers
Yard & Garden Tools
Kitchen Knives & Tools

Best of “Murph’s Mind”
Experiencing 65, as a 40 year old – The AGING SUIT
http://empoweringthematuremind.com/experiencing-65-40-year-old-aging-suit/
Last week I went into Seattle to theAbodian showroom. I was invited, as an“Aging in Place Specialist” to
come in and try on their rented “AGE Exploration Suit” as part of a presentation on learning more about
Aging in Place and Universal Design features of their industry’s leading-edge technology, in cabinetry
and storage solutions that have internal motorized openers and closers, along with high tech appliances
like refrigerators, dishwashers, stoves and hoods. What a wonderful experience.
Now I’d seen much of the technology they had related to
drawer openers and closers. But what I hadn’t ever
experienced was the SUIT. BLUM has created a suit that you
can wear which they claim is designed to create the
sensations of you being about 20-25 years older. This
includes being 25 pounds heavier, you can’t bend your joints
as well without pain, and can’t lift your arms and shoulders
above your head as well.
Beyond that, they also outfit you with gloves that take away the tactile
sensation in your hands and fingers (wow, what a pain THAT is to not be able
to feel with your fingertips!), headphones to create a detriment in your
hearing ability, a helmet that has a lense which yellows (like the aging eyes)
your environment and damages your ability to ascertain the differences
between colors, as well as bi-focal glasses that blur your eyesight at two
different levels. Talk about a NEW REALITY EXPERIENCE… Wow.
Before they put on the suit, they have you operate some of the drawers and
cabinetry, and get a few things up and down, in and out of the base and
upper cabinets, so you have a reference point of “able” at your own age,
before putting on the suit. Then you gear up! After about 10 minutes of
talking to you while you are in the suit (getting hot and tired from holding
the extra weight that’s been inserted into sleeves in the suit), they begin
your “testing regimen”. You are tasked with the following to do list, and you
are watched and timed while you do the following daily ritual type activities:

Getting “Geared Up” for
the AGING Experience
1) Open a wallet and get 81 cents correct
change out of the coin purse pocket in the
wallet.
2) Pick out a BLUE paper clip in a box with
about 250 paperclips of assorted colors.
3) Get a ream of paper off the back of a
bottom shelf in a base cabinet and put it on
the counter.
4) Get a stack of breakable plates down from
an upper shelf and put them on the
countertop.
5) And a few other similar type daily tasks…
So, how do you think it went? How do you think I FELT? The first
word that comes to mind is “Appreciation”, followed by
“Empathy”. This “age addition” puts me right where my folks are,
with me being 40 years old and they being 63-64. WOW, what a
reality check this was. Not only as an architect and professional
designer with a passion (and already plenty of education) about
Baby Boomers and housing solutions that consider our new 1/3 of
life longevity we have created in the last 150 years (with medical
and technology advances). But also as a SON, as an ADULT
CHILD. As someone that WILL soon be tasked with helping create
care solutions for my own folks as they enter their latter 1/3 of life.
Trying to get correct
change out of a wallet

Is what YOU are designing considering any of this? Are YOUR products
and services aware of where we are going? Did you know that 2/3 of
people that have EVER turned 65 years old are ALIVE TODAY!? Did you
know that between 1950 and 2040 the 85+ age group will have grown
from 0.5% to 5% of the population, a TENFOLD increase!? Did you know
there are forecasters who are saying the it’s quite likely my own children
(6 and 9 years old) could live to 100… 120… maybe even 150 years old
when it comes to THEIR children?
Does your business, service, or products design solutions FOR this
information? If NOT, how does that make YOU FEEL? Time to
consider it, and get ahead of the needs of the Boomer
Consumer. 10,000 people are turning 65 years old EVERY DAY for the
last 3 years and the next 17 years. For me, I’m designing HOUSING
solutions (and teaching / speaking / writing books) that show others
how to do so as well, with this “plate tectonics” level massive shift in
Trying to get a ream of
the demographics of our clients and consumers. You’d better start
paper off the bottom shelf
paddling in your R&D boat, or you are going to get swallowed by the
“Silver Tsunami” as it’s being called… Or be up a creek, without a
paddle. Your choice.
I can only INFORM and INVITE people to consider the information, education, and learning we
provide. I can’t force anyone to PLAN AHEAD, or NOT PROCRASTINATE. We all know that working in
planning mode and being pro-active is much cheaper and emotionally more sane that waiting for an
accident that forces us into panic mode, back-peddling, emotionally overwhelming decisions that
usually aren’t the best or most cost effective. But I can’t MAKE you want to keep your independence,
your happiness, your home, your pets, your memories, your garden, and your neighbors. YOU have do
decide it’s important enough. We hope you do!
Do you have thoughts or comments on this BLOG? Post your ideas at the online site:
http://empoweringthematuremind.com/experiencing-65-40-year-old-aging-suit/

Featured “Aging In Place” Project
“Aging-in-Place” Remodel -
Remodeling an in-town developer/builder SPEC HOUSE that didn’t
consider a paraplegic who is looking for more independence in her ability
to bathe on her own, in her own master bathroom!
View to water
D.I.Y. modified vanity cabinet
DESIGN GOALS:
Aging-in-Place and Universal Design features to meet her needs:
Existing walk-in-closet
closet area
1) ROLL IN SHOWER: Current 36” deep shower with curb (where door has already
been removed for makeshift access), to be removed and replaced in the corner
under the windows, with built-in or flip down bench seating (including a back for
her support), vertical bar adjustable shower head and accessible bathing
apuratures, accessible operation handles, and zero-threshold entry to/from the
shower area at the flooring level of the exterior bathroom flooring.
2) CHANGING BENCH: Removing an un-used soaking tub (there is another
tub/shower in the home for “resale” consideration) and put in more storage with
pull down access from upper cabinets over a teak built-in bench for side transfer
from her chair to allow for maneuvering widths related to dressing after showering
3) WALK-IN CLOSET ACCESS: New shelf and rod configuration to allow “pull
down” access to her clothing in the walk in closet, so she can independently choose
and reach her own clothing for dressing in the morning.
4) NEW VANITY COUNTERTOP & ACCESS: New lower maintenance countertop
(for reach constraints, no grout/tile), improve existing makeshift under-cabinet cut
out access area to include roll away base cabinet doors and scald protection at
under counter piping, and upgrade levered fixtures at lavatory sinks.
Existing Shower & Soaking Tub

Featured “Aging In Place” Project
“Aging-in-Place” Remodel – additional photos…
How can we best HELP YOU?
In our true interest of “Servant Leadership”, we want to know what YOU WANT from Empowering the Mature
Mind – SO PLEASE TELL US so we can SERVE YOU better – Simply shoot us an email at:
Info@EmpoweringTheMatureMind.com -- Thanks!!!

OUR MISSION at Empowering The Mature Mind:
“Dramatically improving our clients’ ability to live a longer and happier life at home.”
EtMM does this through our positive online community, where we provide our subscribers
with valuable information, education, and resources – at EtMM, we are EMPOWERING you to
meet your WANTS, NEEDS, and RIGHTS.
Empowering The Mature Mind was
created to provide timely & pertinent
informational teachings, links,
references, resources, and product
offerings for the Mature Adult
Populations & their families. Our goal
for YOU? EMPOWERING and
ENABLING the Mature Adults of our
population to control their own lives, and
have the ability to meet their WANTS,
NEEDS, and RIGHTS in every part of
their wonderful “Second Half ” of life.
I am a licensed Architect with 18+ years in the
architecture and real estate investing industries. I
am an entrepreneur, and a loving dad to two
beautiful children. I am passionate about things I
believe in, and I enjoy sharing these passions with
my clients, the public, and those I care about and
love, so you can share with yours as well…
“Encore Living” Radio with co-host Aaron D.
Murphy of Empowering The Mature Mind is live ON
AIR every 2nd & 4th Tuesday of the month, from
9am-10am. Archives available on iTunes too!
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/encoreliving
Aaron Murphy is a Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist,
trained in the unique needs of the older adult population,
Aging-in-Place home modifications, common remodeling
projects, and solutions to common barriers in our homes
and communities in which we would prefer to stay and
live. CAPS professionals have been taught the strategies
and techniques for designing and building aesthetically
enriching, barrier-free living environments. The CAPS
program goes beyond design to address the codes and
standards, common remodeling expenditures and
projects, product ideas, and resources needed to provide
comprehensive and practical aging-in-place solutions.
CAPS graduates pledge to uphold a code of ethics and are
required to maintain their designation by attending
continuing education programs and participating in
community service.

Empowering The Mature Mind - SUMMER 2014 Newsletter

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