Aging in place principles has guided the design for the 2022 Model ReModel’s 850 square foot in-law suite addition. Remodeler Symbi Homes says it's part of the company’s approach to sustainable and healthy interiors.
In this update, we will break down the key elements of the project’s universal design and explain the benefits of such an approach.
The population of Americans aged 65 and up has grown substantially over the past decade and will nearly double to 100 million by 2060, according to the Population Reference Bureau.
Yet, according to the HomesRenewed Coalition, an advocacy group working to leverage resources for adapting homes to age in place, our current housing stock is drastically unprepared for this shift in demographics.
Seventy-seven percent of American adults aged 50 and up want to remain in their homes, according to the AARP. Still, only 3.5% of American homes have the minimum accessibility features needed to ensure their comfort and safety, such as no-step entries and curbless showers, according to the American Society on Aging and the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University.
Furthermore, a plethora of data shows that ill-fitting homes can have disastrous consequences for older residents. Falls are a leading cause of death among the 65+ population in the United States and are responsible for more than $50 billion in health care costs each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Read the full update here on the Model ReModel project website.