Home Is Where The Heart Is

We talked at the beginning of the semester about Universal Design and that sparked my initial interest in this field.  I am someone who loves watching HGTV and doing home improvement and DIY projects.  So I was very interested in the idea of doing improvements to homes with a bigger purpose in mind than just aesthetics. We are learning about emerging practice areas in OT and Aging in Place was brought up.  It has gained more recognition recently as the Baby Boomer population ages and want to stay in their own homes.   I am so intrigued by this concept and have worked with many geriatric clients whose only desire is to go home.  What if they were able to? Is their home accessible for that?

I have a huge passion for geriatric clients and would love the opportunity to spend time in their home making it easier for them to stay there.  I have a dream that one day I could even get my husband on board and he could do the construction side of things.  He is very handy and we could go all Chip and Joanna and really make a difference in people's lives.  This is mostly my imagination talking, but it is something I am very interested in getting involved in. 

This concept doesn't only have to apply to the geriatric population.  People who have had an injury or acquired a disability can also have barriers in their homes.  We recently had a young man named  Fletcher Cleaves come to talk to our class about his life and how it has changed since he was in a car accident and experienced a spinal cord injury.  One of the things he talked about was the inaccessibility of Memphis and how it took him forever to find an apartment that had an accessible shower.  He had a goal to be able to live on his own and what if that was the only thing that was holding him back?  I think home modification could extend to involve more than just the geriatric population and make things accessible to all.  People just need to be more aware of this need and that takes advocating for change. 

"Occupational therapy  maximizes health, well-being, and quality of life for all people, populations, and communities through effective solutions that facilitate participation in everyday living."

This is the Vision 2025 of AOTA and I feel Aging in Place can really align with this goal.  If many people in the older generation want to age in their home I feel recognizing that and helping them participate in everyday living is important. This may impact their health, well-being, and quality of life.  I hope that more people can become aware of this need and strive towards change in building and home design in the future.

Vision 2025. (June 2016). Retrieved from http://www.aota.org/AboutAOTA/vision-2025.aspx