Thomas G. Wells Construction designs and builds accessible rooms, additions, bathrooms, kitchens or whatever is needed to be able to allow someone to live in their own place as age and other factors encroach on their independence. And they do so without making it painfully obvious that they are making these lifestyle modifications. Helping people stay at home or in a family member’s home is an alternative that many are facing today. Thomas Wells explains, “As the baby boomers age they are concerned with taking care of their parents needs now and their own needs later.”
Catherine Pope at Thomas Wells Construction when training to become a Certified Aging in Place Specialist (CAPS) learned to look at a home in a completely different way. “I had to spend time wearing Vaseline covered glasses, socks on my hands and earplugs in my ears to mimic a situation an individual may have who wants to live at home but needs help.” Thomas Wells explains that people who have diminishments in certain areas do not want to be reminded of the this fact, “They want to feel like they are healthy people and they want to feel that they can do as much for themselves as they possibly can.”
Catherine says, “This is not ADA, like the things you see in a restaurant or a hospital. It doesn’t have to look like that. When you start to put the grab bars that are used in a hospital or other foreign looking equipment into a house, you’ve kind of crossed over to something you may not be ready to cross over to.” Thomas explains, “A normal towel bar has a bar that is connected to two separate parts. A towel bar that we install will be welded and able to support someone’s weight. It can be very decorative. It doesn’t look like the typical thing you see in the Home Depot bathroom.” Aging in place modifications typically begin with like a grab bar or better lighting. Both Catherine and Thomas work with occupational therapists and spend time questioning clients until they get a full understanding of they need. “Some of this is very personal, especially when it comes to something like using a bathroom.”
Aging is place is also a way to keep families together and even communities. When a person makes the decision to stay at home or to keep an aging parent in their home, they have made a decision that allows an older person to remain a member of the community at large, to be able to celebrate holidays with the family. Life doesn’t have abrupt transitions when all that may be needed is a more accessible bathroom, or a bedroom downstairs or a towel bar that is strong enough to double as a grab bar. For more information about aging in place and planning for the future, call Thomas G. Wells Construction, LLC at 1-267-583-3482 or visit www.tgw-construction.com.