Creating Communities to Age in Place
As baby boomers begin tackling aging in place, they are realizing the importance of community in maintaining one’s health, wellness, and independence. Some seniors are choosing co-housing, where a group of people intentionally create and maintain a community. In most co-housing communities the residences, often single family homes or condos, are owned privately and public […]
Housing Study: Senior Households are Booming, Escalating Need for Assistive Services
The Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University (JCHS) has released it’s 2012 The State of the Nation’s Housing report. According to U.S. census data, around 10,000 people will turn 65 each day until 2030. As the JCHS’s study says, “The leading edge of this group reached 65 in 2011, entering the phase of […]
The 8 to 80 Problem: Designing Cities for Young and Old
The non-profit organization 8-80 Cities based in Toronto focuses their efforts on providing solutions for cities to make it accessible to people of all ages. They determine whether a specific space would be usable by an 8 year old as well as by an 80 year old. If a space is deemed to be inaccessible, […]
Accessibility features need support, too
A few years ago, Apple Inc. captured yet another huge slice of the consumer market by releasing a new iPhone that was, out of the box, completely accessible to blind and low-vision users. The triumph was stunning on several fronts. First, while blind and low-vision people were texting and sending email using other cellphones, it […]
Older Adults with Disabilities Can Age Well in Place
Forty percent of community-dwelling older adults in the US have a disability. This can make the goal of aging-in-place even harder to achieve especially for lower-income individuals. A six month long program called “Community Aging in Place: Advancing Better Living for Elders (CAPABLE)” was developed by researchers from John’s Hopkins and other Universities in order […]
Ageing in the 21st Century
A report published by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and HelpAge International investigates the challenges and solutions of aging in the 21st Century. The report is a collaboration of over 20 United Nations entities and major international organizations working in the field of ageing, and it reviews policies and action taken by governments and […]
Navatar: Navigating Users With Little to No Sight in Indoor Spaces
Human Computer Interaction researcher Elke Folmer, based out of the University of Nevada, Reno, has developed an interior navigation system for people with little or no sight. Instead of relying on expensive sensing equipment or augmentations to the building in which the device is used, Navatar uses accelerometers, a low cost technology available in smartphones. […]
Assistive Listening Calculator – Free Mobile App For iPhone and iPad Eases Installation of Assistive Listening Systems
The ADA Compliance Assistive Listening Calculator is a free mobile program for the iPhone and iPad from Listen Technologies. The company describes it as “a complete tool-set for understanding and calculating facility requirements to meet the 2010 Standards for Accessible Design.” The app includes a calculator, e-mail capability, helpful ADA information links, product assistance and […]
Streets as Places: A Way to Fully Complete Streets
The “complete streets” movement has taken the United States by storm, and has even taken root in countries such as Canada and Australia. Few movements have done so much to influence needed policy change in the transportation world. As of today, almost 300 jurisdictions around the U.S. have adopted complete streets policies or have committed […]
Homes for ‘Wounded Warriors’ Designed with Help of UB Architect
Architect Danise Levine of the University at Buffalo has completed design work with the Wounded Warrior Home Project, which will finish construction on two houses for wounded veterans today (Nov. 11) in Fort Belvoir, Va.