Home Modification on Primetime Television

This season ABC Extreme Makeover: Home Edition has featured three families where home modification was an integral part of the makeover.

Episode seven featured the Vardon Family who are living in a home not appropriate for their disabilities. Judy and Larry are parents who are deaf and have two sons. Their youngest son Lance is autistic and blind. Stephen is their oldest son and is 14 years old. Stephen helps interpret his parents signing for others and helps care for his brother. He applied to Extreme Makeover: Home Edition because he is worried that his family will be unable to manage once he goes to college.

Many of the modifications were related to protecting Lance so he did not leave the house and wander the neighborhood in the middle of the night. One product was Project Lifesaver, which is used to track people with Alzheimer's and other related disorders. The monitor was sewn into Lance's pajamas and if he leaves the home, the local police will be contacted to locate him. Also his parents' bed will shake and a blinking light will go off. Lance was also given a library of current teen Braille books. With the help of some OTs (occupational therapists) his bedroom and play area was filled with sensory toys to enhance his development. Another product installed in the home was Textnet. This integrates the phone system with the help of computers for communication through voice, video and TTY. To find out more about other products used within the Vardon home click the link below.

Episode nine of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition involved the Burns family. Benjamin Burns is a seven year old that has Osteogenesis Imperfecta or more commonly known as Brittle Bones disease. Benjamin lives with his parents, aunt and older sister in home not made for his needs. Benjamin crawls on his knees to prevent himself from falling when he walks around. The surfaces and flooring were not safe for Benjamin. The concrete flooring underneath the carpeting was replaced with cork and rubber flooring throughout the house. Now Benjamin will not hurt his knees when he is crawling on the floor. Benjamin's room was also filled with soft furniture such as beanbags and stuffed animals. The bedroom's walls and flooring were padded with soft material. The inside and outside of the Burns' home was outfitted with handrails for Benjamin to use. The front door has a wider frame and zero entrance to make it easier for the whole family. To find out more about the Burns family makeover click the link below.

The most recent episode featured Rodney Anderson. Rodney was shot near his parent's home while visiting from school. He had to give up his promising basketball career at CSU Fullerton but continued working on his degree in social work. This accident left him paralyzed and now he travels with the aid of a wheelchair. The Andersons were given a state grant to renovate their home to accommodate Rodney's wheelchair. Unfortunately after an initial visit by the contractor, the contractor did not return to complete the renovation and pocketed the grant money.

The Extreme Makeover team decided to build two accessible homes: one for the Rodney's family and another for Rodney and his wife. Both homes featured zero entrances in addition to wider doorframes and hallways throughout the homes. The homes are wired with a remote control system that allows Rodney to open the various doors without the help of family members. A small spa with an attached chair will allow Rodney to exercise and strengthen his muscles. The kitchen featured lowered counters so that Rodney can access whatever he needs in his wheelchair. An attached gym includes various exercise machines to help Rodney's rehabilitation. A voice-activated system was installed which controls various functions throughout the home. The system is wired to a lift chair that will take Rodney from his bed to his bathroom. The system also allows Rodney to turn on the shower or open the back door. All of the products used were added to give Rodney as much independence as possible. To learn about the product used in this episode click the link below.

Products used for the Vardon family: http://abc.go.com/primetime/xtremehome/featured/sears207.htm
Products used for the Burns family: http://abc.go.com/primetime/xtremehome/featured/sears209.html
Products used for the Anderson family:
http://abc.go.com/primetime/xtremehome/featured/sears.html

For more information on the show and profiles of the families visit: http://abc.go.com/primetime/xtremehome/

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NHMAC at ASA/NCOA 2005.

The National Home Modification Action Coalition, Inc. (NHMAC) has organized and will be hosting a workshop at the coming 2005 Annual Joint Conference of the American Society on Aging (ASA) and the National Council on the Aging (NCOA). Entitled “ Aging in Place: Envisioning the Future,” the workshop has received designation as a White House Conference on Aging event, and will solicit the expertise of housing, aging and service professionals looking to influence the future of Aging in Place and the role played by the environment. Participants will be asked to identify obstacles and model programs that affect successful Aging in Place and recommend action steps and policies to meet the needs of a growing older population who choose to remain at home. The facilitated workshop results will be refined into a background paper for the official White House Mini-Conference on Aging-in-Place this spring in Washington, D. C.

The following members of NHMAC’s Board of Directors will be making presentations: Richard Duncan, Leon Harper, Susan Klein, Jon Pynoos, Edward Steinfeld, Louis Tenenbaum, and Irma Tetzloff,

This year’s Joint Conference of ASA/NCOA will take place from March 10-13 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. For more information about the above workshop, email homemods@usc.edu

AARP and Home Depot Create Partnership

Last year the AARP and Home Depot successfully implemented a program to hire more mature adults nationwide at Home Depot stores. This led to the current partnership between the AARP and Home Depot.

Home Depot will provide educational sessions and programs for AARP members. Also there will be sessions on how home modifications allow aging in place. Home Depot will conduct workshops on home modifications and workshops for grandparents and grandchildren.

The next phase for this partnership is to identify Home Depot products that will have the AARP Seal of Approval that will help customers to age in place.

Source: AARP News, The Home Depot and AARP Form Strategic Alliance to Include Merchandising and Consumer Education Initiatives , ( December 1, 2004 )

http://www.aarp.org/research/press/presscurrentnews/Articles/a2004-12-01-homedepot.html

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Home Modifications For Veterans

The non-profit organization Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes mission is to serve injured and disabled veterans. One of the Coalition’s programs is Homes for Wheelchair Users. Through a fund that the Coalition manages, veterans can receive home modifications in their current home or adapt a new home. The goal of the coalition is to provide low-cost accessible homes to veterans who need them.

There are additional funds from the VA set aside specifically for making veterans’ homes accessible. With the aid of a home loan from the VA veterans will be responsible for a portion of the cost of their new home. The Coalition’s fund will help the veteran pay the remaining mortgage amount. Also the Coalition will secure donations of materials and money from local contractors and businesses.

Source: Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes http://saluteheroes.org/sah_contents/resources/homes.shtml

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Current Portland Homes Not Built for Aging in Place

Space is premium in the Portland area and most of the homes being built are multilevel. Many of the available lots do not have room for new one-level homes. The current space does not allow for wider doorframes, first level master bedrooms and laundry rooms. More and more aging Portland residents have to move further out into the suburbs to build accessible homes.

Current builders do not include aging in place because of the high demand to build as many homes as possible. Another part of the problem is that some Baby Boomers are building larger homes without planning for possible disabilities or health concerns in later life. Many of these homes are not conducive for aging in place.

Soon there will be a growing need for accessible home and builders who focus on the mature market will be at the forefront. Some builders do recognize this need and are already building accessible homes in the Portland area. Builder Steve Brown of Timberland Homes has planned for 30+ homes that will include aging in place features. Another example is the future site of the Villebois planned community. This community will have 400+ one-level condos for mature adults.

Source: Dana Tims, Older Idea for New Homes: Living In It Now, Later, The Oregonian, ( February 3, 2005 )

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