Contact: Priscilla Knight, 703-392-1580, pknight@novec.com
NORTHERN VIRGINIA—After World War II, many young Americans flocked to the Washington, D.C., area to find jobs. They married, had children, and many moved into houses in Northern Virginia designed for families. Today, most of the surviving members of the WWII generation and their aging baby boom offspring want to remain in their homes, but only 16 percent have upgraded them for safety and comfort suitable for seniors.
“NOVEC encourages all customers to use energy wisely and safely, but we know senior citizens have special safety needs, especially if they live alone,” says Mike Curtis, NOVEC vice president, public relations.
According to an American Association of Retired Persons report, safe and accessible housing will grow worse as the first baby boomers turn 65 in 2011, followed by an enormous wave of people born between 1947 and 1964 who will join the senior citizen ranks. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that there will be approximately 70 million Americans age 65 and older by 2030. The bureau found in 2001 that most Americans live in single-family homes, and the vast majority of these homes require senior citizens to climb stairs and struggle to reach electrical outlets near floors. A high percentage of people over 65 report having trouble doing such everyday activities as bathing, dressing, and cooking due to health conditions.
These changing demographics have some local governments looking for ways to help seniors modify their homes so they do not have to move to costly retirement communities. The concept, called “aging in place,” incorporates “universal design.”
Homes with universal design help people live in their homes longer, especially if they live alone. Design principles include wider doors and halls for wheelchair accessibility, bathroom grab bars, toilets with electrically adjustable seat heights, major appliances located on the ground floor, and kitchens with various counter heights for different tasks. If stairs are necessary, an accessible home should include an electric stair lift or elevator.
Universal design is estimated to reduce the number of deaths -- more than 15,000 annually -- and 1.8 million accidents that occur to American seniors in their homes. Simple, inexpensive home modifications and safe electricity use can reduce the risk of accidents.
Electrical Safety and Wise Energy Use Tips for Senior Citizens
- Install a front door light bright enough for seeing steps and for security.
- Put night lights in every room.
- In closets, install closet-approved lights.
- Have a lamp, telephone, eyeglasses and hearing aids close to the bed. Lamps that illuminate when touched are especially simple for seniors to turn on and off.
- Use light bulbs with the correct wattage to avoid fires. Better yet, use compact fluorescent light bulbs, which use fewer watts and save energy.
- Have electric outlets installed in easy-to-reach locations.
- Install lights at the top and bottom of staircases.
- Use extension cords only where they cannot cause tripping, but never put them under rugs.
- Do not piggyback more than two appliances in one outlet. Replace a frayed cord or the entire device.
- Install smoke and carbon monoxide detectors on each floor; use strobe-light alarms for people with hearing problems.
- Set the water heater temperature at low to medium, or around 120 degrees to avoid scalding.
- A space heater is not energy efficient, but if used it should have the Underwriters Laboratories UL mark to show it has been tested for safety and an automatic shut-off feature. Keep it at least three feet away from furniture, bedding or any combustible material to avoid fires. Turn it off when leaving a room or before going to sleep.
- If using an electric blanket, make sure it is less than 10 years old and in safe working condition. Look for the UL label. Do not put another blanket or bedspread on top. Do not tuck in the electric blanket along the sides of the bed. To be on the safe side, heat the bed with the blanket and then turn it off before going to sleep.
Curtis says, “Many senior citizens live on fixed incomes and may not be able to afford to make energy-saving renovations. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provides funds to the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development to weatherize homes of low-income people. The act also provides tax credits — up to $1,500 — for highly efficient energy upgrades placed in service between Jan. 1, 2009, and Dec. 31, 2010.”
For weatherization information, consumers can contact the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development at 804-371-7000. Tax credit information is available from tax accountants and at http://www.dhcd.virginia.gov/HousingPreservationRehabilitation/default.htm or www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=products.pr_tax_credits.
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1 “Increasing Home Access: Designing for Visitability,” AARP Public Policy Institute, http://www.aarp.org/research/housing-mobility/indliving/inb163_access.html, August 2008
2 Ibid.
3 Ibid.
4 “Blueprint for Boomers,” by Frederick Kunkle, The Washington Post, Nov. 22, 2008; “Getting Ready to Stay Put,” by Annie Groer, The Washington Post, Nov. 1, 2007; “Keeping Older People safe from Home Fires,” Work and Family Life, April 2009
