One house at a time, AARP builds livable communities

Source: AARP.org

Old houses and old shoes share this common trait: The longer they’re worn the more comfy they feel.

Until we outgrow or outlast them.  Then suddenly, the cupboards or counters may seem too high.  Showers and stairs become occasions for falls. And the old porch and steps no longer invite us, but keep us inside.

AARP Indiana is addressing those realities in the Fountain Square neighborhood of Indianapolis, which has a significant number of low-income senior households.  Working closely with central Indiana’s Area Agency on Aging and a neighborhood development group, AARP is identifying homes where relatively small repairs can improve someone’s quality of life.

The work builds on AARP’s Livable Communities initiative, a national movement to broaden available options in mobility, housing, and community services wherever people choose to age.  Each piece of that puzzle is important in its own right; together they promise stronger communities that will welcome and sustain diverse populations with diverse interests and needs.

AARP has already conducted a “senior walkability assessment” of Fountain Square sidewalks and intersections, but the current focus involves home modifications.  “Most people get used to the fact that the railing is a little rickety,” says Irene Wegner, associate state director for community outreach, “and they don’t realize how dangerous that can be.”

So far this year, Wegner has conducted eight “visit-ability assessments” in Fountain Square, on top of 23 last year. As the term suggests, the assessments identify how easily someone can get in and out of a house and use the bathroom.  Those standards may seem minor, but they are the minimum requirements for people to age at home and still maintain vital community connections.  That can’t happen if people are confined to their homes, or if friends and relatives can’t easily visit.  Some homes require only minor changes to increase their visit-ability, such as removing throw rugs or other barriers or installing bathroom grab bars.

Others require more – and more costly – repairs, such as wider doorways, wheelchair ramp construction or installation of accessible plumbing fixtures.  AARP helped seed the project with a $15,000 grant in 2007, but the lead financial responsibility belongs to CICOA Aging and In-Home solutions, the regional Area Agency on Aging that secured $105,000 for home modification grants last year in Fountain Square.  AARP and CICOA are joined in the project by Southeast Neighborhood Development Inc. (SEND), which fosters community revitalization in and around Fountain Square.

The job is big.  According to the 2000 Census, 520 Fountain Square households are headed by people age 65 or older.
Not all need help.  But enough of them do that AARP, CICOA and SEND are all gearing up for a years-long effort.

“We are making a difference,” Wegner says, “one house at a time.”