Independent Living in Beautiful Style
AARP Guide to Revitalizing Your Home: Beautiful Living for the Second Half of Life.
Filled with hundreds of informative, inspiring photos, AARP Guide to Revitalizing Your Home (Beautiful Living for the Second Half of Life), also illustrates how comfort, safety, and access can be attractive and appealing.
The great news is that you can refurbish and renovate—inside and out—to promote personal freedom and healthy longevity. Universal design features such as wide, no-threshold doorways, a first floor bedroom, a walk-in shower, ample lighting, comfortable furniture, and level outdoor walkways provide access for all people, regardless of their abilities. This translates into increased independence and safety, without sacrificing your home’s style and beauty. Plus, those changes may increase the value of the home, should you decide to sell.
This unique book from AARP will help you assess your family’s current home to determine if universal design solutions can transform it into a home for a lifetime. And when you know its limits or possibilities, you can prioritize what to do and how to successfully work with contractors to get the desired results. Making these decisions and taking action now is empowering; it can give you and your parents welcome peace of mind.
After your assessment, you’ll find myriad suggestions for both small- and large-scale modifications, including adjustable height bathroom and kitchen sinks that can be lowered for seated users, non-slip flooring, kitchen appliances that eliminate the need to bend or stoop, good-looking grab bars in the shower, lever-style door handles, and a no-step entry into the house. You’ll also learn many smart technology solutions and quick DIY ideas as well as tips on safety, longevity, and going green.
If you’re in your 50s, chances are good that modifying your current residence for when you get old isn’t a top priority. But for reasons addressed in this book, the best time to plan for your future needs is now, when you can make decisions that are not crisis-driven. The book also addresses concerns you may have about the safety of your aging parents. Learn more about how to help them enjoy their home for a long time to come and avoid moving into an assisted living facility.
AARP Guide to Revitalizing Your Home (Beautiful Living for the Second Half of Life), helps you to:
• Learn the four key principles of universal design.
• Assess your home or your parent’s home—inside and out—to determine how well it suits your family’s current lifestyle and what it would take to adapt it to meet future needs.
• Discover all the appealing solutions available that incorporate universal design features in every room and outdoor space.
· Find out about simple DIY fixes, innovative products, stylish décor ideas, and eco-friendly options.
Background
Publisher: Lark
Published: September 2010
208 pages
ISBN: 1-60059-280-5
ISBN13: 9781600592805
$24.95 US
$31.95 Canadian
Paper with flaps
8 1/2 X 11
About the Author
Rosemary Bakker holds a Master of Science in gerontology and is a certified interior designer. She is a Research Associate in Gerontologic Design in Medicine at the Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City. Rosemary has consulted with numerous individuals and companies and has made presentations on design and healthy aging to diverse audiences, ranging from interior designers and housing experts to consumers, health care professionals, and Fortune 500 corporations. Rosemary was a guest on Martha Stewart Living Radio, has appeared on CBS, NBC, and PBS, and was featured in the Public Lives column of The New York Times and in AARP The Magazine. She currently lives in New York City.