AARP helps locals get homes fit for senior living

19th August 2013   ·   0 Comments

By Kelly Parker
Contributing Writer

Our seniors are living more active, independent lives, longer than ever before; the AARP states that nearly 90 percent of older adults would prefer to remain in their own homes as they age. One way “aging in place” can be accomplished is to make certain a home is senior-friendly.

Local elderly residents can get first hand tips on how to do so in the upcoming AARP HomeFit Workshop, taking place Saturday, August 24, at the AARP Com­munity Resource Center, 3502 S. Carrollton Avenue. The free workshop is from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

One way to make a home livable for everyone, according to the AARP, is to incorporate design principles and features –often called universal design; creating a home that is adaptable, flexible, safe and easy-to-use for all residents and visitors, regardless of age, size or ability.

The course will provide tips that range from a few dollars to several thousand in improvement costs.

“Some of the easy, cost effective steps covered in the workshop will be how to prevent slips in the bathtub or bathroom, making sure nightlights are strategically placed, and ensuring appropriate non-skid surfaces are on steps so you won’t slip,” says Jason Tudor, Director of Outreach, AARP Louisiana. “Those are two-, three, and four dollar investments that one can make in their home that can make a big difference.

Narrow hallways, slippery floors and round door knobs are just a few of the obstacles the elderly may encounter. The workshop will direct participants in taking a fresh look at their current homes to see if it matches their needs now and in the future.

Tudor says that the goal of the workshop is to stress the importance of not only prevention but preparation.

“A lot of times people categorize (these seminars) as ‘falls prevention,’ but we want it to be more than that,” Tudor told The Louisiana Weekly. “As we grow older, we see that the number one cause of injury is slip and falls, and it’s the main cause of people going into longtime care facilities, but we’d really like for this to be a conversation about if (you’re still able-bodied) and never think you’ll need this, we want you to see that you will need this one day, and ask, are you prepared for that.”

When determining if a home meets the needs of elderly persons, it should include these essentials:

• At least one step-free entrance into the home

• A bedroom, full bath and kitchen on the main level, and wide doorways and hallways

• Lever door and faucet handles
Multi-height kitchen countertops, cabinets and shelves that are easy to reach

• A bathtub or shower with a non-slip bottom floor
Blocking in the bathroom walls so grab bars can be added as needed

• Well-lit hallways and stairways

• Secure handrails on both sides of stairways

“The Community Resource Center opened in September 2012 and it’s a new pilot program offered by AARP to bring programs and services straight to the community,” Tudor says. “Volunteers and staff work together to provide programs for AARP members and to those that are 50 (plus) years.”

Tudor states that various workshops ranging from financial security to health care law to driver’s safety; are available.

HomeFit Workshops are conducted all over the country by AARP State Offices; however this is the first to be held by the organization in New Orleans. Licensed Occupational Therapist Patricia Zebrick will lead the workshop. Attendees will receive a free HomeFit work book, which will allow elderly persons to perform their own home assessments.

Seating is limited for the Home­Fit workshop. To register, call (504) 485-2162.

This article originally published in the August 19, 2013 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.