Susan Bachner has taken four decades' worth of training and experience in occupational therapy, plus an interest in universal design and a passion for helping people, to become a certified aging-in-place specialist (CAPS). It's one of the hottest industry trends in the country, what with almost 80 million feisty baby boomers who are now, or soon will be, wanting to make home modifications.
"I see everything in terms of a system," she said. Bachner's system involves meeting with clients in their homes, assessing their physical environment and how they interact with it, then submitting a written report with recommendations they can take to their architect or builder. "I recommend products," she said. "I don't sell them, but I can recommend products to promote a safer and more accessible environment."
The concept of universal design is that "all people of all abilities can access the same thing in the same way," according to Bachner. TV remote controls and garage door openers are examples most of us don't think twice about. These gadgets work for people who can't get up to change the channel or open the door, as well as anyone else who just appreciates the convenience. There are kitchen vegetable peelers with padded handles that are great for people with arthritis but downright comfortable for anyone who's fixing potatoes.
In construction terms, universal design incorporates access and aesthetics. "Universal design means you can get into the house without steps," said Bachner. "This works for kids in strollers or someone in a wheelchair, and it works fine for the UPS driver carrying a heavy package. Universal design is an inclusive design."
The most common elements of universal design are flat entrances, wide doorways and hallways, and unobstructed lines of sight. There are lots of other possibilities, including adjustable counter heights (or cabinets and counters at various heights), reinforced bathroom walls for grab bar installation, curbless showers, using levers for door handles instead of knobs, and flat-panel light switches instead of toggle switches.
Universal design was defined in 1993 and developed 10 years ago through North Carolina State University. Not long after the research was published, Bachner and her husband had their own home remodeled using some universal design concepts.
Bachner's recommendations for her clients are very individual, unlike the guidelines of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, which are based on public places, not residences. ADA guidelines are in the process of being revised, by the way. According to Bachner, they were originally established for paraplegic veterans in wheelchairs who had upper body strength.
Bachner, who is president of the Kentucky Occupational Therapy Foundation (KOTF), received a B.S. in occupational therapy from Tufts University in Boston and a master's degree in sociology from the New School for Social Research in New York. She then had a community-based clinical practice in New York and Connecticut before moving to Lexington in 1993. She started her consulting business, Susan Bachner Consulting, LLC, in 2000 and gets referrals from physical therapists, occupational therapy case managers, social workers, lawyers and contractors. She's a member of the Home Builders Association of Lexington's Remodelers Council.
It was the National Home Builders Association, along with AARP, that formed the CAPS program for certified aging-in-place specialists. A 2003 report by AARP showed that 83 percent of Americans 45 and older expect to spend the rest of their lives in their current home. In the fall of 2006, AARP's research said 91 percent of those 60 and older aren't moving to Florida (or other warmer climates), because they prefer to stay put. As an aging-in-place specialist, Bachner works with residents by partnering with building professionals and healthcare professionals.
"I'm one piece of the team," she said. "My part is to know what clients need and want now and for five years down the road and to recommend how those needs and wants might be met."
Instead of expecting the person to adapt to the environment, it's Bachner's goal to remodel or repurpose the environment to fit the individual. Learn more about her practice at www.susanbachnerconsulting.com.