This newly constructed home will serve as an aging-in-place proof of concept.
We’ll publish monthly progress of this initiative over the next 6 to 8 months and at the end will offer a best practices guide to aging in place.
Neenah, Wis. (PRWEB) May 30, 2013
Aging in place — the preferred lifestyle for older adults — requires tools and support that allow seniors to live in their own homes safely and independently. The founders of The CareGiver Partnership are practicing what they preach — building a home that serves as a state-of-the-art demonstration center by incorporating a wide range of aging-in-place elements.
“With thousands of baby boomers turning 65 every day and a shortage of affordable long-term care facilities and trained caregivers, aging in place is an important and emerging trend,” says Lynn Wilson, Founder of The CareGiver Partnership, a national retailer of incontinence products and home health care supplies.
“Builders, manufacturers, and service providers are adapting to this growing need for tools that allow seniors to safely and affordably remain in their homes as long as possible. Our business is built on helping seniors and family caregivers manage at home, and what better way than to experience these aging-in-place innovations firsthand,” says Wilson.
Construction of the ranch-style home in Neenah, Wis., began this month and is expected to be completed by Nov. 1. It embraces the concept of universal design — producing buildings, products and environments that are inherently accessible to older people, people with and without disabilities — by combining the latest technology and modifications:
- A leading-edge automation system allows homeowners to control security, lighting, temperature, music and more from easy-to-use, touch-control panels. These functions also can be controlled remotely with an iPhone or Android smartphone application.
- Environmental sensors shut off water if a leak is detected and notify homeowners of fire, window breakage and carbon monoxide.
- Motion sensors in driveway and over doors control lighting and report door positions to a control panel or smartphone, while high-definition, closed-circuit security cameras monitor activity inside and outside the home.
- A dumbwaiter lift system will help the homeowners move items safely and easily, helping prevent falls and injuries that can lead to loss of mobility and independence.
- Green features, including a car charging station, energy-efficient appliances, LED outdoor lighting, drain water heat recovery system and an energy-efficient on-demand hot water circulation system.
- Conveniences designed around limited mobility or dexterity include zero-egress entry, wide doorways, easy-access counters, pull-out shelves, no-step shower, levered faucets, and a multi-room, multi-source sound system. Post-construction additions will include other daily living and monitoring tools as needed.
“By combining these aging-in-place innovations with our experience as caregivers, we can provide our retail customers with additional expertise that will help enable them to live at home safely, comfortably and affordably,” Wilson says. “We’ll publish monthly progress of this initiative over the next 6 to 8 months and at the end will offer a best practices guide to aging in place.”
For more information and one-on-one customer service, call The CareGiver Partnership at 1-800-985-1353 on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Central Standard Time. Or visit http://www.caregiverpartnership.com to download a free home safety guide, “It All Starts with a Fall,” and access hundreds of free articles on senior care and aging in place.
The CareGiver Partnership is a national direct-to-consumer retailer of home healthcare products for incontinence, diabetes, nutrition support and more. In its seventh year of providing products and services that help caregivers and loved ones maintain personal dignity, the company also offers an online library of more than 1,400 family caregiver resources and personal service by experts in caregiving. Call 1-800-985-1353 or visit online at http://www.caregiverpartnership.com.
