Universal Design: Cheap, Nearly Invisible Today, Priceless When Misfortune Strikes

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"The main issue here is that we're all getting older," Angie Maidment, [Corinne Klassen]'s partner in Therapy First and co-organizer of the conference says. "For example, one of my clients just had a stroke. So he now has mobility problems, and his wife has memory problems. They didn't want to move, so they had to spend about $25,000 for a lift to help him negotiate a set of stairs. It's just not cheap to retrofit a house."

"A huge tidal wave of seniors with mobility issues is coming, and it's going to hit hard," he warns. "So there's going to be a real need to accommodate seniors with a variety of mobility issues. Right now, I'm left wondering where people who can't take care of themselves are going to go. Of course, we'll figure out a way to house people, but I'm concerned that solution will lack grace and dignity."

"I can appreciate that it's tough for housing developers to go against the trend -- they're out there to make a profit," he says. "But building a home with universal design features built-in isn't more expensive. In fact, such buildings, over time, will save money. You won't have to tear down obsolete buildings to start over, and because people can live for a longer time in their homes, they won't have to go into care homes."

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Universal Design: Cheap, Nearly Invisible Today, Priceless When Misfortune Strikes

Is your home fit for the future? Builders, buyers urged to plan for tomorrow's health challenges

By Todd Lewys

BUILD today for a mobility challenged future tomorrow.

That's the message behind a conference coming to Winnipeg next month that aims to encourage new home buyers, homebuilders and real estate agents to consider that today'...

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