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Here at Home Evolutions, we occasionally like to report on inspirational human beings such as Michael Donahue of Rancho Cucamonga, CA. Michael joined hundreds of veterans and their motorcycles as they began a cross-country journey for the annual “Run for the Wall” last Wednesday, May 19, 2010. Michael will be a part of that group and so will his Mobility Conquest wheelchair accessible motorcycle.

Michael, 55, began riding motorcycles when he was 16 years old. Thirty years ago, he was a military policeman in Virginia Beach and was accidentally shot. The injury left him paralyzed from the waist down and he was certain he would never ride again.

However, last year, the freedom of the open road was once again an option for Michael. He purchased The Conquest after finding the wheelchair accessible motorcycle while surfing the web one day. Michael had been searching for a viable option for over 27 years and has now found the one motorcycle that will let him enjoy the freedom that the motorcycle offers.

Michael is leaving for the cross-country trek from his home Rancho Cucamonga with his new wheels, as he takes part in the annual motorcycle ride “Run For the Wall” that ends in Washington, D.C. The ride raises awareness for veterans and those that are missing in action.

“I’m going to put on as many miles as I can,” Michael says. “I’m going to put her to the test. Everybody calls it a Batmobile. Temporarily, she’s my freedom chariot.”

Michael says that people take pictures of him on it and when he took it the DMV, they weren’t sure how to register it. Mark Allen Roberts, president of Mobility Works, said that many of their customers tell him they never thought they would be able to ride again.

“It’s hard to explain what it’s like watching people’s faces change when you give them new hope,” he says.
Mobility Conquest was founded by Bill Koeblitz of Mobility Works, in partnership with Martin Conquest of the UK. Mobility Conquest will be the only authorized manufacturers and distributors of this powerful, wheelchair accessible motorcycle.

There are currently 29 wheelchair accessible motorcycles in the country and Michael was the first to buy one in California. He will be one of three riders taking their Mobility Conquests to the capital on the ride. The other two riders will be joining the “Ride For the Wall” in Ohio.

For more information on The Conquest wheelchair accessible motorcycle, visit the official website at http://www.MobilityConquest.com.

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A recent article by Ericka Pizzillo Cohen, a writer for The Bellingham Herald, discusses six ways you can make your kitchen safer as you age in place.

According to Cohen, occupational therapists have been saying that “simple changes in the kitchen can adjust for the decreased strength, vision and balance that often come from aging or illness.”

Not only can these changes preserve the overall health of seniors who are more likely to cook healthfully if they cook for themselves, but staying independent in the kitchen has many other benefits as well.

“People want to prepare the meals they like to eat,” says Ken Eastham, an occupational therapist at St. Joseph Hospital. “Cooking is good exercise, and it’s a leisure task that can help people psychologically, especially if they invite friends over to eat.”

Here are some suggestions for making your kitchen both well-used and safe.

Simple Steps: Use lighter-weight pots and pans and use less water when boiling food. This reduced weight helps protect a senior’s vulnerable joints.

Michelle Moulds, an occupational therapist at St. Joseph’s who was quoted in the piece, added that people should also pace themselves in the kitchen. “Some illnesses, such as multiple sclerosis, leave people with the potential to be overheated in a hot kitchen. And certain diseases, such as diabetes, leave people with decreased nerve sensitivity, leaving them more vulnerable to burns, a consideration when deciding how and what to cook.”

Other easy changes include buying products such as flour in smaller, lighter packages, and having the butcher trim your meat. Additionally, a wheeled cart can help move items from the kitchen to serving areas, and move heavy pots from one part of the kitchen to another.

Useful Gadgets: The Arthritis Foundation website makes recommendations for “Ease of Use” items. One such item is OXO’s Good Grips, which have built-up, rubbery handles that are easy to grip for people with weakened joints, and that stay steady in the hand for added safety.

Rocker knives, shaped like a crescent, can also help make cutting safer. Electric jar and can openers can save the time and frustration for the kitchen’s most common tasks.

Appliance Advice: Appliances can ease the task of cooking with a few key changes. For instance, Thea Stephens, a certified aging-in-place specialist with Bellingham design firm Domistyle, says that dishwashers in 42-inch-high kitchen islands can be elevated several inches, for less bending and reaching. “And refrigerators that have bottom freezers with pullout drawers mean the upper portion, which is more frequently used, opens at eye-level.”

Knobs on the front of an oven, rather than above the burners, are easier to reach, and also prevent loose sleeves from catching on burners or dipping into your pot of soup, she adds.

Light to Cook By: Recessed can-lighting is the easiest way to add new lighting to a kitchen, and task lighting can be installed under countertops to add another layer of lighting, so prep work is easily viewed.

Take a Seat: Cohen writes that sitting down while cutting vegetables and mixing food may be the best way to prevent falls and ensure you’ve got that knife secure.

Avoid stools with swivel seats or chairs with wheels, however, because they can send you flying across the kitchen when you need something quickly to brace against.

Full Remodel: If you’re thinking of living in your home for many years, consider your senior years when redesigning your kitchen. As we discussed many times before, there are certain modifications that you can make, such as: wider lanes between cabinets so you can leave room for a walker or wheelchair; touchless faucets or lever faucets; as well as cabinets with large drawers for pots.

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Here at the Home Evolutions’ Blog, we often showcase how technology can greatly assist seniors and people with disabilities make aging-in-place a realistic and attainable goal. As newer and newer technologies seem to be born constantly and quickly for our gadget-hungry culture, there appears to be a never-ending offering of electronic tools that can help people remain living comfortably and safely at home.

A recent article by Suzanne Robitaille discusses a groundbreaking partnership between Microsoft and New York City aimed at helping seniors live more independently.

According to Robitaille, New York and other cities are working with Microsoft to bring computers, Web cams, and other high-tech gear to homebound seniors. She explains, “Not even the vibrancy of the city that never sleeps could get lifelong New Yorker Milton Greidinger to leave his home. Chronic illness kept Greidinger, 86, from participating in outside activities, and as a result, loneliness set in.”

Now Greidinger, a former department store salesman, has revived some social interests with the help of a private-public partnership between Microsoft and the City of New York that introduces seniors to computer, video, and Internet technology in their homes. Greidinger happily explains, “All of a sudden, I’m wide awake and alive again. I talk to people now and I’m getting more and more involved.”

The program, known as the Virtual Senior Center (VSC), uses technology to fight social isolation and give older, homebound New Yorkers better access to community services. Working with the Benjamin Rosenthal Senior Center in Flushing, Queens, Microsoft equipped a group of seniors, aged 67 to 103, with a range of technology gadgets and assistive technology to help them function.

Robitaille believes that for New York, as with cities facing budget shortfalls across the country, a private-public partnership may be a cost-effective way to deliver higher-quality services to a rapidly aging population. “We want to make New York City the most age-friendly city in the nation,” said Marah Rhoades, Assistant Commissioner of New York’s Department for the Aging.

Microsoft’s Model for Urban Seniors

New York City is home to 1.3 million seniors and the city’s 60-and-over population is set to jump 50% in the next 25 years. In fact, the expected rise in the number of people 65 and older will outpace the total population increase in every state, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Robitaille explains that Microsoft can use such city partnerships to bring its software and services to a wider range of customers. “Even in a large city like New York, people can feel alone,” said Bonnie Kearney, Director of Marketing for Trustworthy Computing at Microsoft. “This is a model that cities can use to help homebound seniors stay connected and keep contributing to their communities,” she added.

At no cost to themselves, participants received new in-home desktop computers running the Windows 7 operating system, touch-screen monitors, and broadband Internet service worth about $20,000. In addition, a small video camera and microphone lets seniors use Skype and video-chat applications to keep in touch with family and friends. Others even use the computer to attend religious services virtually or watch videos via YouTube.

And at the Flushing senior center, Microsoft also placed two-way video cameras and monitors that let homebound seniors remotely take part in activities such as tai chi and painting, while interacting with instructors and classmates at the center. For seniors with vision, hearing, and physical disabilities, Microsoft adapted the virtual centers with assistive technologies and devices.

Such technology, along with home renovations like those offered by a CAPS designated remodeler like Home Evolutions, can help you to meet all of your aging-in-place needs.

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.

A few weeks ago, this blog described how a Certified Retirement Financial Advisor (CRFA) can help seniors economically prepare for their aging-in-place futures.

As a follow-up to that story, we are happy to announce that a regulatory agency, the Society of Certified Retirement Financial Advisors (SCRFA) has been formed to make sure that any CRFAs that you may employ are properly educated, certified, and qualified to help make your retirement goals an attainable possibility.

The SCRFA was formed to set standards, maintain educational curriculums, provide opportunities and programs for continuing education, and monitor the quality of the CRFA program.

There is also a Board of Standards which is comprised of individuals from the financial services industry who have 10 or more years experience serving retirees.

The CRFA curriculum includes the following topics:

• Asset Harvesting to Last a Lifetime
• Asset Allocation Appropriate for Retirees
• Taxation of Social Security
• Deductibility of Medical and LTC Premiums
• Tax Deferred vs. Tax Free
• Protection of Principal and Guarantees
• Advanced Directives and Trusts
• IRA and Retirement Plan Distribution Planning
• Health and Finances—Long-Term Care
• Estate Planning and Asset Preservation
• How to Construct Fixed Income Ladders for Consistent Income
• How to Construct and Protect Retiree Investment Portfolios

This list of topics is continually expanding as additional issues become important to retirees, as tax laws change, or as the economic environment changes and requires a need for additional education.

The SCRFA has also established a Code of Ethics for graduates, which embodies five fundamental principles of ethical conduct.

CRFA graduates promise the following:

1.To conduct their business according to high standards of honesty and fairness—and to render that service to their clients so that any “prudent man” would agree that their conduct and business practices are beyond reproach.

2. To provide competent and “client centric” service. If products or services do not fit the prospect or client, they will identify that fact as soon as possible and withdraw.

3. Seek to make a comprehensive review of your financial circumstances and make appropriate referrals to other professionals for services beyond their expertise. In other words, seek to protect your financial well-being, whether or not it is within their specific area of expertise.

4. To provide prompt handling of your financial affairs and immediately address client concerns, dissatisfaction, or complaints.

5. To advertise honestly, and to use appropriate sales materials and presentations.

In addition, the typical CRFA graduate will use a variety of tools to provide appropriate solutions—including retirement planning software, a deferred or immediate annuity calculator, monte carlo simulations, and retirement income estimation projections.

Remember, you don’t want someone who simply “has a job” in the financial services industry who wants to sell products and services. You want a professional retirement advisor who has made the commitment to competency and high standards to serve their clients at the highest levels.

CRFA graduates have made that commitment to stay educated and knowledgeable about the solutions to the financial challenges of retirement. Plus, if a CRFA graduate does not have the expertise in an area important to your circumstances, he can access his network of other professionals in the community to assist him in specialty areas, including:

• CPAs for tax consultations;
• Attorneys for legal issues or document drafting;
• Property and Casualty Insurance agents to insure you have adequately covered your risks;
• Life, health, disability, and long-term care specialists.

Don’t forget, once you’ve consulted the right CRFA about financing your retirement future, be sure to then contact a CAPS certified remodeler like Home Evolutions for all of your aging-in-place needs.

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.