The buzz phrase ‘aging-in-place’ is something we are all hearing more and more frequently in the housing industry. To the consumer, however, it may not reveal its true aim immediately.
The aim of home accessibility modifications is to enable older Americans to continue to live independently, in their existing homes, in order to avoid living situations which can limit privacy and freedom.
Properly placed and reinforced grab bars can sometimes enable healthy older adults to stay in place 10 to 15 more years, enjoying mortgage-free life in the communities to which they are accustomed
What’s Not Good
Part of the problem with some of these products is that until quite recently, they have retained their standard-issue, nursing home aesthetic. This is no longer the case, however. Stereotyping these products as being strictly for use in nursing homes and care facilities is quickly on its way out of American perception. The baby boomers are still the largest segment of the population, and their needs are slowly becoming an industry-wide focus. So the market is slowly making gains in providing them with better-looking options so that these products improve their home’s appearance rather than aging it.
The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) says, “Today midlife and older Americans are healthier, more active and better off financially than at any other time in history, and they are living longer.”
What’s Great News
Updating and proper styling of accessibility products will further alleviate this stigma. Kohler has begun to offer grab bars that coordinate with their Margaux and Purist faucetry lines. (The market hasn’t seen any of Kohler’s ornate fixtures moving into the grab bar arena, but hopefully it is just a matter of time.) They do, however, offer a Traditional line that will work with fixtures like Pinstripe or Kelston, Georges, Antique or Revival.
Jaclo offers some ornamental choices that can actually enhance a bathroom’s appearance rather than being an eyesore or a ‘necessary evil’.
The market still needs development, but there are options other than the standard stainless, rounded corner grab bars that everyone has seen in hospitals. The overall aim is to give due respect to a segment of the population who are wowing all of us with their active, vital lifestyles and to make products available to them that don’t insult their good taste!
