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According to a recent National Association Home Builder’s forecast, there will be 85.3 million Americans ages 55 and older by 2014, over one-quarter of the total population. The demand for housing for the 50+ market will continue to grow, although this segment has been impacted by current economic conditions and the housing downturn.

Since affordable housing is getting more difficult for the average homebuyer to attain, modular construction offers one possible approach that may provide this opportunity and is an option more suitable for the global environment as well. In modular construction, components for a house or building are built in a factory or another controlled setting, transported, and assembled at the site.

Modular homes or prefabricated homes can readily accommodate the principles of universal design. It features universal design features such as wider hallways, lever handles, larger doorways, varying height kitchen counters, curbless showers, , anti-scald controls, handheld showers, grab bars,  more space to maneuver in kitchens and baths, and easy to reach thermostats. A modular home that features universal design will meet a family’s needs now and in the future, allowing seniors and people with disabilities to age in place.

Of course, modular construction has had its problems over the years, conjuring up images of low quality and cheap productions. While the stigma remains, it’s lessening. Today, modular represents a viable approach to residential construction, especially if it continues to evolve as it has been doing over the last few years.

Experts liken the modular building industry to the automobile industry. In 1908, Henry Ford revolutionized the production of the automobile by introducing the efficiencies of assembly line manufacturing—an innovation allowing him to significantly decrease its cost, making it available to the general public. Virtually every other major industry has been automated in the last 100 years, except construction.

To date, it has only captured a tiny fraction of both the commercial and residential real estate market. According to the Modular Building Systems Association (MBSA), representing the modular housing industry, only 2% of homes are modular. But today’s sour economy has caused people to take a second look at the construction industry as whole and realized some of the inefficiencies in it and consider some of alternatives like modular.

Despite its slow growth, modular construction has the potential to be a growth sector that can supplant the traditional housing delivery systems and provide another alternative for seniors who wish to age-in-place.

Are you following us on Twitter? — Home Evolutions will give you real-time updates when our latest blogs are posted, as well as timely information on Aging-in-Place news from around the country.

Did you know that approximately 80% of home modifications, renovations, and repairs are paid for by the primary occupants of the residence? And out of these, the majority is funded by personal savings!

But don’t panic…There are many organizations, agencies, and resources (some of which may be right in your town or city) that can possibly help seniors and people with disabilities complete the home modifications necessary for them to age-in-place. A few of these programs are even comprehensive in nature, offering home assessments, providing the renovations and/or equipment, and training the individual to use the modifications at little or no cost.

A recent article for the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) describes some of these potential money sources and assistance programs that may be available to those who choose to remain living at home comfortably, safely, and independently.

The following list is a general and abridged overview of potential funding sources for home modifications noted in the article:

Insurance Coverage of Home Modifications
Some insurance programs might pay for home modifications. This includes automobile insurance policies, worker’s compensation programs, state catastrophic accident insurance plans, medical trust funds, and long term care policies.

Medicare and Medicaid
Medicare recipients may qualify for an occupational therapy evaluation and treatment. Some Medicaid programs offer waiver programs that permit certain states to use Medicaid funds for services as an alternative to institutional care—such as home modifications.

Federal Programs Administered at the State or Local Level
Agencies like the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) all offer various home modification options as part of the services they provide.

Foundations and Organizations
For individuals who have been diagnosed with disabilities and conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, or rheumatoid arthritis—there are several national nonprofit organizations (such as Easter Seals) with local chapters that may offer home modification funding or services to ease the burden of providing care in the home.

Tax Deductions
If an individual did pay for home modifications out of personal savings, they may be eligible for Internal Revenue Service (IRS) deductions for medical expenses.

Many of the programs and agencies listed here often refer and utilize the services of locally-based contractors and remodelers like Home Evolutions. Such aging-in-place specialists can work with these programs and agencies to help make your home a place where you can continue living in comfort and independence.

Read more about this story in the next and upcoming issue of The Forever Home.

Are you following us on Twitter? — Home Evolutions will give you real-time updates when our latest blogs are posted, as well as timely information on Aging-in-Place news from around the country.

According to a recent article by Laurie Orlov for Aging in Place Technology Watch, phone navigation will soon be a critical aging-in-place technology. Orlov believes that by 2013, phone-based navigation will be the dominant form of turn-by-turn navigation. In fact currently, more than one-third of North American consumers own or use some form of navigation services.

Today, surveys indicate that 21% of older boomers (aged 53-63) and 16% of seniors (aged 64+), are using dedicated, GPS, portable navigation devices (PNDs) for their navigation needs. “Moving forward, boomers and seniors should check for phone-based navigation capability in their cell phones when they upgrade. And enterprising vendors should consider designing applications (apps) that take advantage of it,” explains Orlov.

Here are some reasons why cell phone navigation technology can help seniors and people with disabilities age-in-place:

• Cell phone navigation is cheap—Phone navigation also offers voice recognition as well as screen capabilities that are available at multiple and very low price points. For example, the Verizon Wireless VZ Navigator and Sprint Navigation are available for a $9.99 monthly service fee. AT&T also offers the same capability for $9.95 per month.

• It’s available on nearly all cell phones and updates are immediate—Unlike PNDs, with cell phone-based navigation, updates to routes are immediate and happen over the same wireless network that becomes available when the phone is turned on. Plus, GPS-equipped phones will be largely available to the vast majority of phone subscribers by the end of this year. In addition, GPS-equipped phones can also interact with other location-sensitive applications—like current maps, real-time traffic reports, or apps that help people find gas stations or even restrooms in certain cities!

• Phone navigation can also help keep people from getting lost outside of their cars—Navigation will increasingly be as usable for walking around neighborhoods or on vacation as it is for driving. For example, the Nokia Maps application allows users to specify whether requested directions are for foot or car travel.

• FCC E-911 initiative drove vendors to incorporate location assistance—With so many people giving up landlines, the FCC insisted that carriers comply with this E-911 government regulation. Ensuring that cell phones can be located by police or firefighters is one reason that location-based services are now pervasive. For seniors and people with disabilities, this means that cell phone navigation capabilities can be used both to provide directions, as well as enabling a person with a cell phone to be located in an emergency.

Since the boomer and senior populations are swelling, Orlov states that technology vendors must continue creating new software apps that will be beneficial to people who choose to age-in-place. “Transportation apps are needed because as boomers and seniors age, they may remain longer within their own neighborhoods. As a result, they need access to services that make it appealing and feasible to leave the house, with or without a car.” So technology vendors should focus on apps that help seniors and people with disabilities find bus routes and their nearest stops, or identify available and nearby ride sharing.

She concludes that services apps are also needed. “Perhaps a medical map showing where a nearby pharmacy, emergency room, or walk-in clinic might be. Or perhaps even a ‘senior friend finder’ application that helps people participate in transportation buddy systems, helps them know what activities are in town, and who else may be going to a local event.”

Remember, CAPS designated companies like Home Evolutions can also help seniors and people with disabilities continue to live comfortably, safely, and independently as they age-in-place.

Are you following us on Twitter? — Home Evolutions will give you real-time updates when our latest blogs are posted as well as timely information on Aging-in-Place news from around the country.

One of the best resources on the Internet about aging-in-place is the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). As you know, our company is a member of the National Association of Home Builders and I hold a special and highly recognized designation as a Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS).

But they are also a great resource for consumers too. Their Web site is chock full of information on living in one’s home independently regardless of age or ability.

A new fact sheet on their Web site includes some of the interesting facts, statistics, and information they’ve assembled for consumers just like you.

How big is Aging in Place?

• 89% of people 50+ wish to remain in their own homes indefinitely (AARP).
• 75% of remodelers have seen an increase in requests for aging in place work (NAHB).
• 60% of remodelers already perform aging in place work (NAHB).
• Over half of all 55+ households rate their current home a 9 or 10 out of 10 (American Housing Survey).
• The aging population is the number two issue to affect the remodeling industry over the next five years, only behind the availability of skilled labor (NAHB).

What is NAHB doing to help the aging population?

NAHB, in partnership with AARP and the NAHB Research Center, developed the CAPS program, the leading national educational designation designed to teach professionals how to modify homes for aging in place. Since 2002 more than 2,200 have completed CAPS, making it one of the fastest-growing education programs at NAHB.

What should my home contain if I want to age in place?

• A master bedroom and bath on the first floor.
• A low or no-threshold entrance to the home with an overhang.
• Lever-style door handles.
• No change in levels on the main floor.
• Bright lighting in all areas, especially places like stairways.
• A low-maintenance exterior.
• Non-slip flooring at the main entryway.
• An open floor plan, especially in the kitchen/dining area.
• Handrails at all steps.

What are some techniques CAPS-trained professionals use?

• Lighting from multiple directions – reduces glare and shadows.
• Light sockets with more than one bulb – redundancy in case one bulb burns out.
• Stacking closets for a future elevator shaft.
• Contrasting colors for depth perception – use a different color counter (or edging around the counter) than the floor, staining the edge of the stairs a darker color than the rest of the steps.
• Convenience shelf at an entry way to place your grocery bag while getting your keys.

NAHB Remodelers provides more information for consumers online at: www.nahb.org/aginginplace.

Are you following us on Twitter? — Home Evolutions will give you real-time updates when our latest blogs are posted as well as timely information on Aging-in-Place news from around the country.