Ontario Home Builder - Early Spring 2020

Inside Storey bathroom (or one that could be easily converted) on the main floor.

Designing for visitable parameters means that if you have a temporary condition, such as a ski accident, or you have a more permanent condition, you can still live in your own home.

“A grab bar can make all the difference in a person’s ability to live in their home longer, but the ones on the market are not the ones you want to put in your beautiful home, especially if you just renovated your bathroom. But you can put an integrated grab bar that’s aligned with the shower alcove—something you can lean on and grab that’s safe and will result in a more adaptable home that suits your needs for longer.

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Harnessing best practices for inclusive design

BY TED McINTYRE WITH DESIGN-FOR-THE-AGING EXPERTS MICHELE COHEN, MARGOT SCHULMAN, AMY POTHIER AND LINDA KAFKA

WE’VE ALL HEARD the numbers, but they’re still staggering: By 2030, more than one-quarter of Canada’s population will be aged 65 or over. And with 1,200 Canadians turning 65 every day, the ratio is increasing.

That brings with it a rising challenge of addressing inevitable cognitive and physical deterioration in a population that doesn’t ever want to move out of their home.

But it shouldn’t mean the end of quality living, notes a foursome with expertise in the field: Amy Pothier, Inclusive Design and Building Code Strategist at Gensler; Margot Schulman, principal at Schulman Design; Michele Cohen, principal of Health Sciences with NORR Architects and Engineers; and Linda Kafka, principal at the Living in Place Network and a Certified Aging in Place Specialist (CAPS) and Certified Living in Place Professional (CLIPP).

The foursome were part of a seminar entitled “Designing for an Aging ohba.ca

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Population” at this year’s Interior Design Show in Toronto.

Pothier cited a UK study noting that 80% of the homes the current population will grow old in are already built, but that just 7% of them have even basic accessibility features. Stats like that have this group concerned.

OHB: BEYOND CODE, WHAT SHOULD BUILDERS AND RENOVATORS CONSIDER WHEN DESIGNING FOR SENIORS? MARGOT SCHULMAN: “We’ll raise

all the electrical outlets so that they’re 20 inches above the floor, and bring the switches down. People love it becuse they have trouble bending down.”

AMY POTHIER: “I think they need

to include seniors in the conversation and product testing and integrate the parameters for visitable housing— no-step entrance, a clear path through the main floor and an accessible

MICHELE COHEN: “It was encouraging that in 2017 the Ontario Building Code added the AODA (Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act). But there are also guidelines you can follow from the Facilities Guidelines Institute that are not part of the OBC. “For example, it’s difficult for those with disabilities to detect whether a floor is shiny or wet. So lighting and surfaces should prevent glare.

“And colour selection is important. It can help with wayfinding (particularly in a seniors’ home). People lose their ability to distinguish certain colours as they age, so contrast is important. In a completely white bathroom, it might be hard to differentiate between fixtures and floors.

“And handrails can be life-changing.

But you need to think about having the proper backing if you’re going to be able to later adapt a space for handrails, or reinforce a bathroom ceiling to be able to put a lift in there to help a support worker or loved one mobilize the patient. Where you put the plumbing should be considered, so that if you’re in a wheelchair or walker there is ample clearance for turning radius and knee clearances beneath the sink. Hot pipes should be properly wrapped.

“We need to eliminate one- or twostair transitions, and leave five feet of space to manoeuvre a wheelchair—six feet for a scooter. Modifications can be ONTARIO HOME BUILDER EARLY SPRING 2020

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