During a recent Certified Aging in Place Specialist (CAPS) class, I got into a rather heated discussion with a kitchen and bath designer over where the best location of a microwave oven was in the homes of our aging clients.

I opened the discussion by saying that, while most kitchen designs were aesthetically pleasing for a majority of clients, many designs did not work well for our older clients.

This brought a frown from the kitchen and bath designer, who preferred the traditional location for the microwave — above the stove. His comments triggered a fairly lively debate of the pros and cons of where to place the microwave.

When it was over, I hope everyone came away with understanding that putting the microwave above the stove was not necessarily the best location for it for this particular clientele.

Like the kitchen and bath designer, we sometimes forget who we are designing for and overlook the various problems that come with the aging process. Many of us have a tendency to think about design in terms of present-day needs. But when working with older clients, we also need to think about how a design can meet their future needs — a valuable lesson to remember during any CAPS class or when working with or designing for older clients.

As an example, I recently was working with a client who lived in a patio home in a state-of-the-art retirement community that also featured apartments, assisted living and a nursing area. The community offered attractive exteriors, a great street view and well-designed interior units.

What it lacked, though, was forethought.

My client was a 5-foot-tall woman with back problems who lived by herself, and when I first sat down with her to discuss changes she wanted to make to her home, I noticed that she had difficulty holding things.

When I asked her how she liked her beautiful wooden kitchen cabinets, she told me they were great, but that she had problems “getting things in and out of the upper shelves.”

I noticed that almost half of her upper cabinet shelves were bare and when I asked how she was able to get items from her upper cabinet shelves, she said she would “get out my stool and put it next to the counter.”

And when I asked her about her microwave, which was located directly above the stove, she said she didn’t use it because she couldn't reach that high.

We were able to make minor changes to accommodate her needs and keep everything within reach. We adjusted the upper cabinet shelving and pantry shelving and we added a countertop microwave. We were fortunate that the home had lots of storage space.

Also, when walking through her unit, we found a few other problems that could be easily overcome. In her closets, for instance, the rods and shelves were too high for her, so we lowered them to accommodate her height and reach.

Simple adjustments to the laundry room can usually be made to accommodate aging-in-place needs. For instance, front loading washers and dryers should be used instead of top loading machines because they eliminate the need to reach over and pull items out of the machines. Some clients may also prefer stacked washer-dryer units for added convenience.

These simple adjustments in the kitchen, bedroom and laundry room illustrate how the architect and designers of the community forgot about some of the day-to-day needs of the residents who were going to be living there.

Let’s make sure that we do not make the same mistakes. It is most important to take the time and listen to your clients so you can make changes that will meet their current and future needs.

Doug Sutton, CGR, CAPS, is president of Sutton Siding and Remodeling based in Springfield, Ill. For more information, e-mail Sutton, or call him at 217-528-3911. 

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