Designing for the Aging Population:

As a designer, I know and have seen just how important it is to design for the aging. What amazes me is how little attention is given to it from the general public. How disconcerting it can become to families who are confronted with an unexpected turn of health with a close family member or friend. This is a result of reactive planning which rarely produces satisfactory results for the individual who is no longer able live on their own. I had a taste of this myself this summer when my father unexpectedly fell ill. I am luckier than most, as my father is on a path to recovery, but that wasn’t expected when he first became ill.

As with our healthcare in general, it is always better to be proactive instead reactive, leaving this job to our children and friends, or even worse, total stranger. When left till the last minute, we have a tendency to look at just the physical needs of an aging body and none of the physiological or social aspects of our lives.

We of the baby bloomer generation should all be taking a hard look at our lives and realizing that we may or may not have our health for many more years. We are at the age when our friends are beginning to leave this world and we read the obituaries to keep track of them. This is the time to look at our social circles, new and old, think about how we want to spend our final years, and prepare for those days both physically and mentally. Growing old isn’t a bad thing, but as with everything else in life it requires good planning.

We should be positioning ourselves in homes that can accommodate our physical needs whether we’re mobile or not. We need to locate ourselves around those we are closest to, be that family or friends. Studies have shown that those of us with a minimum of ten close contacts will have better metal health in their latter years. So take a good look at whom you would like spend your time with. If you don’t have at least ten close contacts, find a group you can join. Volunteer where you can make friends and enjoy your life and share that joy with others so that they too can enjoy life. Act now: don’t wait until you can’t get around anymore.

As a designer, I’ve learned how critical universal design is to our society. When we design today to meet the needs of all, no matter what those needs are, we are designing to meet our own future needs. Planning ahead allows us the freedom to live our lives how we want to live them, rather than how someone else thinks is best for us. So take control of your destiny: you will be glad you made the effort.