1 Aging in Place Summary by Jaime Weber Submitted 6 September 2015 ART 271 Mrs. Berdami 2 Aging in Place An article published by the American Society for Interior Design (ASID) entitled “Home for a Lifetime: Interior Design for Active Aging” introduces a growing market within interior design, creating safe environments for the elderly to age in place without leaving their homes. Many baby boomers prefer to stay in their current homes as they age due to comfort, a familiar community setting, and ownership of their homes. The income and assets of the middle aged- older generations will allow them to hire interior designers to make their homes suitable for aging in place. The ASID has both issued and learned from several studies which show that a majority of baby boomers own their own homes and are willing to spend the money necessary to equip their homes for independent aging. Older residents want their homes to offer comfort, safety and mobility, and areas for hospitality and entertainment of friends and family. Studies conducted by the ASID, Hanley Wood LLC, and other companies revealed that baby boomers often prefer single-family homes with wide clearances as well as high-tech, low-maintenance features. The biggest things for designer to consider in aging-in-place environments are ease of access and the homeowners’s safety. Falling among the elderly creates a major concern. The ASID encourages designers to “Gain knowledge of the aging process, lifestage needs and appropriate products” as they design with the elderly in mind. Simple action steps such as increasing lighting and removing clutter can make access and mobility easier. Many among the aging community prefer single-story homes that make mobility easier and remove the danger and difficulty which stairs may present. Homeowners considered the future of their homes just as much as, if not more, than they considered healthcare and financial security for their household. Another article written by Drue Lawlor, chair of the ASID Aging in Place Council, shows how “Sustainable Design Begins with Universal Design.” She asks, “Why not design for the health of the home and the homeowner and consider the investment in the future of both?” By preserving and adapting homes for longtime use, the environment is carefully considered and resources are conserved. Creating environments which consider the future of the homeowner goes hand-in-hand with the longevity, careful planning, and earth-conscious choices of sustainable design. Additionally, planning ahead for future health and safety features saves money and stress for homeowners. Lawlor points out that one of the greatest benefits of aging in place is the sense of independence and well-being maintained for homeowners. She writes, “The 3 more homes that are universal, the more homes that will work smarter, work harder and will last longer as they will be d ...

1. 1
Aging in Place
Summary by Jaime Weber
Submitted 6 September 2015
ART 271
Mrs. Berdami
2
Aging in Place
An article published by the American Society for Interior
Design (ASID) entitled “Home
for a Lifetime: Interior Design for Active Aging” introduces a
growing market within interior
design, creating safe environments for the elderly to age in

2. place without leaving their homes.
Many baby boomers prefer to stay in their current homes as they
age due to comfort, a familiar
community setting, and ownership of their homes. The income
and assets of the middle aged-
older generations will allow them to hire interior designers to
make their homes suitable for
aging in place. The ASID has both issued and learned from
several studies which show that a
majority of baby boomers own their own homes and are willing
to spend the money necessary to
equip their homes for independent aging. Older residents want
their homes to offer comfort,
safety and mobility, and areas for hospitality and entertainment
of friends and family. Studies
conducted by the ASID, Hanley Wood LLC, and other
companies revealed that baby boomers
often prefer single-family homes with wide clearances as well
as high-tech, low-maintenance
features. The biggest things for designer to consider in aging-
in-place environments are ease of
access and the homeowners’s safety. Falling among the elderly
creates a major concern. The
ASID encourages designers to “Gain knowledge of the aging

3. process, lifestage needs and
appropriate products” as they design with the elderly in mind.
Simple action steps such as
increasing lighting and removing clutter can make access and
mobility easier. Many among the
aging community prefer single-story homes that make mobility
easier and remove the danger and
difficulty which stairs may present. Homeowners considered the
future of their homes just as
much as, if not more, than they considered healthcare and
financial security for their household.
Another article written by Drue Lawlor, chair of the ASID
Aging in Place Council, shows
how “Sustainable Design Begins with Universal Design.” She
asks, “Why not design for the
health of the home and the homeowner and consider the
investment in the future of both?” By
preserving and adapting homes for longtime use, the
environment is carefully considered and
resources are conserved. Creating environments which consider
the future of the homeowner
goes hand-in-hand with the longevity, careful planning, and
earth-conscious choices of
sustainable design. Additionally, planning ahead for future

4. health and safety features saves
money and stress for homeowners. Lawlor points out that one of
the greatest benefits of aging in
place is the sense of independence and well-being maintained
for homeowners. She writes, “The
3
more homes that are universal, the more homes that will work
smarter, work harder and will last
longer as they will be designed to meet the needs of the
homeowners for as long as they choose
to stay. What a sustainable idea!” A healthy, sustainable home
is designed for a variety of ages,
family members, and health conditions and can be inhabited for
generations with minor
adaptations.
In her article “Designing for All-The First Steps,” Leslie
Shankman-Cohn, member of the
ASID Aging in Place Council, provides practical steps for
designers who are creating
environments for aging in place. She starts off her article with a
helpful reminder, “It is

5. important to remember that people age differently or may have
different levels and
manifestations of the same disability. Just because two people
are 80 years old does not mean
their flexibility, cognitive skills and physiology are the same.”
There is no one-size-fits-all
approach to aging-in-place design. Designers must assess
individual, unique situations and
clients to create spaces which benefit their lifestyles and
address their physical challenges in an
appropriate fashion. Shankman-Cohn argues that careful
research must precede any design plan.
The current condition of the home, the physical needs and
assistance of the clients, the access to
help from family and community members and healthcare
professionals, as well as financial
assets will all inform the design process and installation for
aging individuals. Observing the
clients in their existing space and discussions with doctors and
healthcare professionals can also
play a role in the research part of the design. Designers must
identify specific problem areas in
the current space. They should ask about door openings and
hardware, the mailbox, getting in

6. and out of chairs and couches, sleeping arrangements, ease of
access to the toilet and shower,
access to cabinets and other storage areas, and types of floor
surfaces. Attention to detail and
daily habits must influence the design plan and adaptations
required by the aging clients. Once
the problems have been indentified, proper solutions can be
evaluated and implemented in the
redesigned space. Again, the author reminds designers, each
client will present different needs
and expectations, and the designer must be willing to creatively
address each home as a unique
project.
4
My Response
The growing market for aging-in-place design is very
interesting to me. I am blessed

7. to have two sets of grandparents who are aging in a healthy
manner and who still live on their
own in single family homes. Both my Omi and Opa and
Grandma and Grandpa have lived in
their current homes for about 40 years. As I considered the
things I read about in the articles
about aging-in-place, I realize that my grandparents have
minimal health concerns as far as
eyesight and hearing. Both of their homes have smooth flooring
surfaces which make mobility
easy, and neither spaces are too cluttered. My Grandma and Omi
both have difficulty walking up
and down stairs. My Grandma lives in a ranch-style home, and
she rarely goes down into her
basement. My Omi lives in a two-story house with her bedroom
on the second floor, but she tries
to limit her trips up and down the stairs during the day. One of
the most interesting, broad-level
observations I read in the first ASID article was about the
psychological benefits of aging in
place. Both sets of my grandparents, as well as countless others,
value their ability to live
independently. Their sense of well-being and security does
come from maintaining their lifestyle,

8. hosting their friends and relatives, and keeping up a
comfortable home.
One of the things I have observed among environments
designed for the aging is the
focus on function over form. While many adapted spaces are
functional, practical, and safe,
creativity and originality in design seems to be overlooked in
many cases. More consideration
and diversity to color, personal style, and individuality may
make environments for the aging
even more comfortable. As the market continues to grow, I hope
to see more progress in the area
of making spaces that are both functional and follow trends in
design.
Consider the differential equation ty' + (t + 1)y = 2te
−t
which has the general solution y(t) =
e
−t
(t + C/t), for any value of the constant, C. Which solution
satisfies the initial condition y(1)

9. = 1/e ?
Plot the direction field for the equation y' = y
2
− t. In the rectangle R = {(t, y): −2 ≤ t ≤ 10, −4
≤ y ≤ 4}.