If someone asked me, what is one of the biggest mistakes that people make when it comes to accessibility and safety in their home, I would have to say that it is simply not getting started. No one wants to hear the message about home modifications until they actually need it “yesterday!”
We meet people at health fairs, on the street, or they are referred to us. All too often they actually limp up to us or use mobility equipment like a cane or walker, or have already fallen, and when we talk about using equipment or making changes that would increase safety or reduce effort, they tell us “Oh that is great, but I’m not at that point yet.” We hear it so often and we’ve talked about creating staff T-shirts that say -When is “That Point”? We know, we know. No one would get that message either. Sometimes we feel like we are shouting out a message that no one wants to hear or perhaps we have a message that is doomed to be lost for years, just like the old message in a bottle.
We know that it is human nature to believe that we are never going to change; we won’t be the ones that have the horrible accidents; and we won’t be the ones whose spouses, parents, or children need us to learn the skills of nurses and therapists. As humans, we believe this right up until the moment that our worlds start to fall apart. We also know that people don’t want to make changes because they don’t know what to do or they don’t know who to turn to for good advice.
There was a great study done by AARP and other organizations that addressed what people wanted to do and what they were actually doing about aging in place. AARP study If you read through the study you’ll see that it confirms the things we see at Home Access Solutions every day. Much larger numbers of people believe they will be living at home all their lives than the smaller numbers of people who are actually taking action to make that dream a reality.
We often work with people facing big problems and our job is to help them find a way to make their home safer, accessible, and easier to live in. Though we’d prefer to help people avoid crises by planning ahead, we think we do a pretty good job of helping clients through crisis by coming up with practical solutions. Our clients think so too. Most of our new work comes from referrals from clients and the health professionals who work with them.
We hope that you will listen to the testimonials from our clients and check out the things people have shared for our web site. Link to testimonials What we really hope is that their comments will motivate you to be among the few who truly prepare for aging in place and that if you ever need the help, you will remember to search out people like us and companies like Home Access Solutions. Accessibility Remodeling and Adaptive Equipment can help you keep going and living life to the fullest.
