May is Older Americans Month!

History of Older Americans Month

When Older Americans Month was established in 1963, only 17 million living Americans had reached their 65th birthdays. About a third of older Americans lived in poverty and there were few programs to meet their needs. Interest in older Americans and their concerns was growing, however. In April of 1963, President John F. Kennedy's meeting with the National Council of Senior Citizens served as a prelude to designating May as "Senior Citizens Month."

Thanks to President Jimmy Carter's 1980 designation, what was once called Senior Citizens Month, is now called "Older Americans Month," and has become a tradition.

Historically, Older Americans Month has been a time to acknowledge the contributions of past and current older persons to our country, in particular those who defended our country. Every President since JFK has issued a formal proclamation during or before the month of May asking that the entire nation pay tribute in some way to older persons in their communities. Older Americans Month is celebrated across the country through ceremonies, events, fairs and other such activities.

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Universal Design Aims at Growing Group of Graying Boomers
By Jennifer Sergent
Scripps Howard News Service

One developer in Maryland calls it "Lifestyle Design." A group of developers in Georgia calls it "Easy Living." And Pima County, Ariz., calls it the law. "It" is a style of home design that includes smooth, stair-less entries to single-family homes; wide hallways and doorways inside; door handles other than knobs, which can be hard to grasp and turn; and easy-to-reach light switches and electrical outlets. Such amenities are known as Universal Design. Seniors and disabled groups have driven the 10-year-old movement, but the design features make a home comfortable for anybody, its advocates say.

A new study from the National Association of Homebuilders confirms that builders who target homebuyers aged 50 and over already include these features in their new construction. Universal Design advocates want the pattern extended to all new homes, regardless of who will live in them. Pima County in southern Arizona is paving the way. A new ordinance took effect there in October that requires builders to include Universal Design features in every new home they build. The ordinance survived two court challenges from homebuilders.

"(The ordinance) gives people the ability to stay within their homes so they don't have to be institutionalized," Deputy County Attorney Christopher Straub said. Builders and designers agree that Universal Design is still nowhere near the mainstream. The biggest problem, they say, is marketing."There's almost no market for this. There's intense need, but no demand," said Louis Tenenbaum, a remodeling consultant in Potomac, Md., whose Universal Design concepts have been featured on Home & Garden Television. The reason, Tenenbaum and others say, is that no one wants to think of himself as someone who would ever get old and develop a disability, which Universal Design was created to serve.

So builders are taking a new tack, emphasizing other needs over those of seniors or the disabled in promoting Universal Design. In Georgia, it's called the 'EasyLiving Home'. "Whether it is strollers, grocery carts, wheelchairs, 330-pound football players or heavy furniture and equipment, all will move easily in an EasyLiving Home," the brochure says.

Interior designer Irma Dobkin in Chevy Chase, Md., knows firsthand the value of having a home that is "visitable" by people with disabilities. Dobkin's elderly parents told her 20 years ago that they could no longer visit her "magnificent home" because there were too many obstacles for her mother's wheelchair, especially the narrow hallways and tiny bathroom entrances. "My home demeaned my parents," said Dobkin. "It was such a profound epiphany." Dobkin proceeded to overhaul her house to make it accessible. She turned the project into a laboratory for other designers to illustrate how to make a home beautiful and accessible without looking institutional.

Washington-area developer Michael Rose routinely gets questions from customers asking him why his high-end homes are "so much nicer" than others in that price range. The answer is Universal Design. His hallways are four feet wide instead of the standard three. The front entry doesn't have a lot of steep steps and "an ugly wrought-iron railing." There's a master bedroom suite on the first floor, along with a second hall closet which is great for storage but also could convert into a future elevator for a wheelchair, if the need arises. Rose, who is a paraplegic, calls it "Lifestyle Design." "It feels better; it looks better," he said of the features. And the demand will come, even if people don't want to admit they're getting older. "The builders are building for that market. The majority of people don't want to go to a destination only for senior citizens. They want to stay in their home," Rose said.

Tenenbaum, the remodeling consultant, likens the Universal Design "revolution" to curbside recycling. It took recycling advocates 20 years to get that service into most neighborhoods. Universal Design as a movement is roughly 10 years old halfway to the mainstream, he said. "In 2013, we'll be there."

Contact Jennifer Sergent at sergentj@shns.com

Rebuilding Together Orange County Receives $250,000 Contract from County Office on Aging

SANTA ANA, Calif., May 14, 2003 - Rebuilding Together Orange County (RTOC), a non-profit, volunteer-based organization dedicated to building partnerships within the community to rehabilitate owner-occupied homes for low-income residents, today announced that it received a $250,000 contract from Orange County's Office on Aging for the Older Americans Act (OAA) Family Caregiver Support Program (FCSP). Rebuilding Together Orange County is an affiliate member of Rebuilding Together USA, and is one of 260 affiliates in over 865 cities throughout the country.

RTOC will fulfill the requirements of the contract by completing home and community-based projects, which assist caregivers and enable frail older adults to stay in the home environment. Services will be provided to eligible clients - adult family caregivers 18 years or older who are informal providers of in-home and community care to seniors 60 years or older throughout Orange County illustrating the greatest economic or social need. For purposes of this contract, economic needs are defined as resulting from a low monthly income level; whereas social needs are caused by non-economic factors that include physical and/or mental disabilities, language barriers or cultural, social or geographical isolation that restricts performance of normal, daily tasks or threatens the capacity to live independently. Particular emphasis will be placed on low-income individuals, and non-English speaking minorities.

According to the U.S. Census (2000), Orange County seniors comprise about eight percent of California's senior population and this number is expected to double in the next 20 years. "As the number of older adults continues to rise, it is likely that the number of low-income homeowners will increase as well," said Steve Carpenter, executive director of Rebuilding Together Orange County. "More and more families are in the position of choosing between vital necessities, such as food or medicine, or a roof that does not leak. Rebuilding Together works to alleviate families from having to make these difficult choices."

While typical home modifications include installing wheelchair ramps, grab bars, railings, and bathing access features, Rebuilding Together provides most improvements, which allow homeowners to stay where they want to be - in their homes. Other types of improvements include but are not limited to widening doorways, installing hand-held shower fixtures, repairing or enhancing lighting, plumbing or electrical, replacing walls/plaster, paint, weather-stripping, roofs, as well as cleaning and landscape. Under the guidelines of the contract, all work and renovations must be completed by the end of June 2003. "The goals we have developed under the framework of this project are aggressive, but there is a great need for services," said Carpenter. "We are proposing to identify and complete nearly 85 sites in the next six weeks. We are thrilled to have been chosen to lead the revitalization effort and look forward to making a difference in as many lives as possible."

Orange County's Office on Aging serves as the lead advocate for 400,000 older adults residing in the county, with a specific focus on low-income ethnic minorities. As an advocate, the Office on Aging is responsible for understanding the needs of Orange County's older adults and utilizing federal funding and programs available to meet those requirements. The Office on Aging is dedicated to improving the lives of older adults and by providing information and facilitating services for seniors and their caregivers throughout the county, it helps fulfill its mission of ensuring that Orange County's older adults experience a high quality of life characterized by independence, safety and health. To learn more about the Office on Aging, visit www.officeonaging.ocgov.com or call (800) 510-2020 for more information on senior services and programs.

Rebuilding Together is the nation's largest volunteer home rehabilitation organization dedicated to preserving and revitalizing houses and communities. Throughout the year - and throughout the country - Rebuilding Together affiliates help ease the lives of thousands of low-income, elderly and disabled homeowners by assuring they live in warmth, safety and independence. Since its inception in 1990, the Orange County affiliate has assembled over 12,000 volunteers to complete more than 400 rehabilitation projects countywide. It is estimated that the fair market value of these improvements exceeds $5 million. Last year alone, more than 2,200 volunteers repaired and rehabilitated 123 sites in Orange County, a fair market value of nearly $1 million. To learn more about Rebuilding Together Orange County, please contact (714) 667-8174

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Steve Carpenter Executive Director Rebuilding Together Orange County (714) 667-8174 scarpenter@rebuildingtogetheroc.org

Countywide Program to Support Older Adults and Caregivers, Provide Rehabilitation and Home Modification Services to Those in Need

Accessible Vacations

For individuals with disabilities, accessibility concerns may be formidable barriers for travel enjoyment. The frustration of inaccessible bathrooms, showers, or entrances can thwart travel plans for individuals. Companies like "Accessible Journeys" or sites like "Accessible Vacation Home Exchange" offer ways to extend the pleasure of international travel to individuals with accessibility needs.

"Accessible Journeys," created in 1985, is devoted to designing vacations for individuals with wheelchairs. Their motto of "Making the world more accessible," has propelled the creation of accessible group tours and cruises, as well as options for independent travel. "Accessible Journeys" also lists accessible vacation rental properties around the world and provides a rental service of assistive devices that may be used during travel. For further information, visit "Accessible Journeys" at: www.disabilitytravel.com

International home swapping may be another avenue to experience the wonders of world travel. "Accessible Vacation Home Exchange" lists potential exchange partners around the world. Individuals post their ads along with accessibility features. Partners can then be contacted directly to inquire about scheduling the swaps and further accessibility concerns. For further information, visit: http://www.independentliving.org/vacaswap.html