HEALTWH & WELLNESS Aging in Place

Aging in Place

BY LESLEY KENNY PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF PARC DE PRINCE

We plan for so many things except the one we’re guaranteed to face: age-related physical limitations. More than just installing hardware store grab bars in the shower, a plan to age in place (stay in your own home) can be incorporated into the overall design of a new home.

We move around our homes from room to room without a thought. We bend down dozens of times a day to pick up kids’ toys, dog bowls, and socks. We talk about hopping in the shower, racing down stairs, and jumping into bed; that is, those of us fortunate enough to be physically able.

But this too shall pass.

Regardless of how committed we are to our health and fitness, things will eventually change.

The majority of Ontario seniors live in their own home and intend to for as long as possible. But for how long will that be possible? Statistics Canada says that if we reach the age of 85, there’s a one-in-three chance we’ll need to move to a seniors’ residence where there’s nursing care and modified amenities to help keep us safe. Yet, the hardest lesson we’ve learned from the pandemic is that nursing homes and long-term care residences are no longer places where an acceptable level of health and safety is a given.

A recent study by Ryerson University’s National Institute on Ageing reports that 70% of respondents over age 65 said the pandemic has changed their thinking – they’re now even more committed to staying in their own homes.

According to the Government of Canada, “aging in place means having the health and social supports and services you need to live safely and independently in your home or your community for as long as you wish and are able.” A key part of being ‘able’ is to ensure that the physical layout and amenities of your home are now, or will be in the future, suitable to your changing physical needs.

More than just installing hardware store grab bars in the shower, a plan to age in place (stay in your own home) can be incorporated into the overall design of a home.

One of Parc de Prince’s newest homes, built in consultation with the owners who are still healthy and active.

There are several bathrooms in this home, including this one with a luxurious deep tub, and others with wheelchair accessible showers and vanities.

Arnaud Marthouret, Director of Business Development for Parc de Prince luxury home builders, explains that to have the home we will need later in life, either a full gut job or comprehensive renovation is usually required. “Or there’s the option of a full new construction where you can build it the way you want,” he says. “These tend to be large, luxury homes because of the space needed for the modifications.” As an example, much of the housing stock in the GTA’s older homes now includes narrow, cramped corridors – barely wide enough to accommodate a mobility device such as a walker, never mind a wheelchair.

One of Parc de Prince’s newest homes, completed in 2019, was built in consultation with the owners, a couple in their 70s, both still healthy and active but planning to stay in their new Sherwood Park home for as long as possible. As falls are the leading cause of injury when we get older (hip fractures being the most common), it’s important that our homes don’t literally trip us up. In this new-build, the driveway acts as a ramp to the side of house and the entire first floor has no steps. Floor transitions from room to room are seamless for barrier-free accessibility throughout the house. Although there are stairs between storeys, there’s an elevator from the basement to the top floor.

Marthouret says it’s common for Parc de Prince to shore up basements and ensure an at-grade main floor (most homes in Toronto have at least one step at their main entrance). The advantage to a shored basement is that it increases the value of the house by a multiple of what it costs to do a shoring job. “So, if it costs $100,000 just to shore it down to make 12-foot basement ceilings, this would increase the value of the house by approximately $300k,” he explains. “What’s unique is that Parc de Prince has looked at it in a way that if you spend more money on a feature, you would get that money back multiple times.” >>

Aging in place means having the health and social supports and services you need to live safely and independently in your home or your community for as long as you wish and are able.

—Government of Canada

The house is spacious on its own, but it also makes circulating in a wheelchair possible.

The deeper basement includes a separate suite either for family to stay or, if necessary, a caregiver.

According to Marthouret, “the circulation was made wider so the house feels spacious on its own, but it makes circulating in a wheelchair possible. To make it fully accessible you might have to eventually remove a few pieces of furniture, but all the infrastructure is already in place.”

There are multiple bathrooms in this new home and some have accessible showers – which means either no or very small transitions to get into the shower, even using a wheelchair.

The house includes “smart features” says Marthouret. Heating, cooling, lighting and alarms can all be controlled by one of many iPads around the house, or by cell phone.

If we live long enough (which of course we plan to), most of us won’t be able to afford a luxury built-to-order home with multiple bathrooms and an elevator. But we can start to think about what we will need and how that might be possible.