Housing » Accessibility
Why It's Important
Some older adults do not have the accessible home features they need to live safely
and comfortably on their own. Demand for accessibility improvements is likely to
increase in the future as older, very frail persons become a larger share of the
senior population. In contrast to altering existing homes, another way to ensure
accessible housing is to incorporate accessible design features into new homes as
they are built. In the Older Americans Act, Congress has declared that older people
are entitled to equal opportunity to obtain and maintain suitable housing, independently
selected, designed and located with reference to their special needs and available
at costs they can afford.
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How Richmond Is Doing
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How Virginia Is Doing
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How the U.S. Is Doing
In a report released by the AARP in 2008:
- Accessible housing should include zero-step entrances, thirty-two inch wide doorways,
and first-floor half-bathrooms.
- Although the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) supports voluntary measures
to encourage accessible designs, accessible homes are more likely to be built under
mandatory legislation.
- is typically inexpensive to integrate in the design phase, and many communities
have flexible requirements.
- Approximately 2v2 million persons ages 65 and older reported having physical difficulties
in 2006. Of that number, about 14 million persons reported having difficulties walking
a quarter of a mile and 11.5 million reported difficulty climbing ten steps without
resting.
(AARP PPI, Increasing Home Access: Designing for Visitability, 2008)
According to Houser:
- 4.6 million ( 13 percent) of the older population had difficulty with at least one
daily activity.
(AARP PUBLIC POLICY INSTITUTE, NATIONAL HEALTH INTERVIEW SURVEY, 2005)
According to Smith, Rayer and Smith
- 25% of new houses built today at some point will have a resident with severe long-term
mobility impairment.
(SMITH, RAYER AND SMITH, 2008 AGING AND DISABILITY: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE
HOUSING INDUSTRY AND PUBLIC POLICY IN THE UNITED STATES. JOURNAL OF THE
AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIATION)
According to a recent survey taken by the National Association of Home Builders
in a report entitled, Single Family Accessibility or Visitability:
- The NAHB surveyed remodeling companies in 2007, 72% of the respondents reported
modifying homes for aging-in-place needs, up from 60% in 2006. In additions, 75%
of remodelers noted an increasing number of requests for aging-in-place features
over the past five years.
(NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF HOME BUILDERS, SINGLE FAMILY
ACCESSIBILITY OR VISITABILITY, 2007)
According to Hammel:
- More than one-third of older adults reported feeling concerned about being forced
into a nursing home as a result of barriers in their home. They also said they found
it difficult to find and afford help to modify their homes to meet the needs.
(UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO, THE IMPACT OF HOME MODIFICATION SERVICES ON COMMUNITY LIVING
AND PARTICIPATION OUTCOMES
FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE AGING WITH DISABILITES, 2005)
Data Sources
AARP PPI, Increasing Home Access: Designing for Visitability, 2008
http://assets.aarp.org/rgcenter/il/inb163_access.pdf
Federal Interagency Forum on Aging Related Statistics
http://www.agingstats.gov/agingstatsdotnet/main_site/default.aspx
Hammel, J., L. Fogg, J. Sanford, D. Walens, J.G. Dahl, A.Gossett, K.Pietraszk, and
K. Jopa, The Impact of Home Modification Services on Community Living and Participation
Outcomes For People Who Are Ageing with Disabilities: Final Report. RRF
Grant #2001-328. Chicago, Ill.: University of Illinois at Chicago, 2005
http://jrm.medicaljournals.se/files/pdf/40/4/914.pdf
Houser, A. 2007. Long-Term Care. Washington, D.C.: AARP Public Policy Institute.
http://assets.aarp.org/rgcenter/il/fs27r_ltc.pdf
National Association of Home Builders, Policy Single Family Accessibility or Visitability,
2007
http://www.nahb.org/generic.aspx?genericContentID=37885&print=true
Older Americans Act
http://www.areaagency8.org/ooact%201965.htm
Smith, S.K., S. Rayer, and E. A. Smith. 2008 Aging and Disability: Implications
for the Housing Industry and Public Policy in the United States. Journal
of the American Planning Association 74 (3): 1-18
http://www.bebr.ufl.edu/system/files/Aging_Disability_0.pdf
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey
http://www.census.gov/acs/www/