By Jennifer Pass
Special to the Record
We seem to race through life always preparing for the next stage.
The plug covers for when the baby starts crawling, the room apart from house living area for when the kiddies are teens and want their own space, the university degree for a hoped-for career path. But there is one stage we don鈥檛 prepare for 鈥� old age and our likely reduced physical abilities. Do we all really believe we鈥檒l be running marathons in our 80s and 90s?
We build and buy houses based on our age 40 or 50 abilities, without anticipating needing a walker or a wheelchair permanently or even intermittently. Ramesh Lad, of Step By Step Accessibility Consulting says, 鈥淚f you are planning on building a house in your 50s or 60s, look at your in-laws (assuming they are in their 70s and 80s).鈥�
Ramesh was affected by the drug Thalidomide which was given to pregnant women in the 1950s and early 1960s to address nausea. So, he is particularly equipped at addressing issues of accessibility in construction and renovation. And he is keenly intelligent and creative at solving problems. He thinks outside the box. He showed me many adjustments 鈥� not visible but which allow him to enjoy his life more comfortably. For example, he made a remote control hoist (from a model car hoist) which he uses to raise the barbecue lid. Just press a switch and the lid goes up.
鈥淥kay鈥�, you say, 鈥渂ut, I don鈥檛 want my home to look like a hospital ward.鈥�
When you enter Ramesh鈥檚 home, you are instantly struck by spaciousness, and a very classy modern look. No visible 鈥渄isability aids.鈥� Even the necessary elevator is discretely placed through a doorway to the outside of the home. Doors are sliding, hidden. Switches are lower. Doors to fridge, freezer, wall oven open sideways.
An important consideration at the construction stage is adequate support should a ceiling lift need to be installed. An additional beam in the ceiling, makes the later installation of the lift, much easier and cheaper. The same principle applies for stair lifts 鈥� also making sure there is a power supply at the base of the stairs.
Ramesh has his business in his home, so has a home office that is fully accessible. This thinking outside of the box makes Ramesh鈥檚 strategies both imaginative and successful. If we want our lives to continue to be full as we age, there are an endless number of strategies that can enable continuing activity and engagement.
With the new Accessibility legislation in BC, government buildings must upgrade to new accessibility standards. Ramesh has helped North Island College with this upgrade and recently helped Cypress Gardens receive its Rick Hansen Accessibility Certification. He works for both corporate and individual clients wanting to create more accessible buildings. The work he does is based on the Canadian Standards Association guidelines for Accessibility standards (B651-23). He is a certified Accessibility Accessor through the Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification Program. These CSA and RHFAC guidelines are what he uses when offering advice along with knowledge based on the BC Building Code, which offers guidance on minimum accessibility requirements. To contact Ramesh go to https://stepbystepconsulting.com/ or phone 778-992-0556.
Even if we do not want to anticipate permanent disability, we often have surgeries that necessitate weeks without weight bearing. And we want our homes to be welcoming and accessible for family members and friends who are differently abled. Universally accessible living space makes good sense for human interconnectedness.
When we think about having the lifestyle we want as long as we can, this pre-planning for disability aids makes so much sense. None of us want to end our days in institutional long-term care, and one of the best ways to avoid or at least forestall that is to have a home that is accessible to our reducing capabilities. Also being more engaged with hobbies and able to do the activities we love, is good medicine at any age.
Jennifer Pass is the co-ordinator of Comox Valley Elders Take Action (ETA)
