Tag Archives: #designsforlife

Slide Show of Flores “Forever Home”

In January 2020 I was invited by the institute founders to give a presentation at the National Kitchen and Bath Industry Show in Las Vegas about how the Living In Place Principals have affected my life. Well… my family members could pretty much be the poster children for Living In Place. It felt intimidating at the time but  I put together this slideshow  and it was very well received by my piers and other industry professionals.

Click on the link below to see the presentation featuring our Forever Home for 3 Generations

 

I am am honored to have been selected as one of thirty five International Ambassadors for The Living In Place Institute.  Our purpose as a group is to initiate awareness of the benefits of the principals of Living In Place to the public as well as to the building and medical communities. I am thrilled to be among these amazing people who are so passionate about making all homes, safe, comfortable and accessible as a norm, a reality! We meet monthly online to share knowledge and experiences.

The First Obstical

Five things had to happen before the family could move into our Plum Tree house

  • The Elevator had to be installed.
  • Bryan’s bath had to be revamped for a roll- in shower
  • Dot’s bath needed tub replaced with a walk in shower
  • The master bath needed a lot of love and the shower enlarged.
  •  And of course, we had to find a way to get Bryan and Dot comfortably and safely into the house in the first place.

The front steps were fairly steep and there was no handrail. The back entrance involved about 20 steps with no adequate handrail to grasp and the garage steps were not easily  accessible  for any of us. A fabulous handyman, Mark Lawrence, who was very familiar with accessibility issues came to my rescue and installed  new garage steps with handrails and grab bars.



Accessibility issues were not uncommon when we were searching for homes. It is one of the things that buyers don’t think much about unless faced with an injury or worn out joints. Safety features are not that expensive when you think of the cost of a fall. I hope that builders and remodelers will join the movement to keep our homes safe, comfortable, and accessible for everyone.