But a DIY terrace? Our skill set for building a terrace was highlyquestionable. I didn’t have the heft needed to move wheelbarrows of soil, let alone lift large stones into place. My husband’s ongoing chemo treatments and afternoon napping wouldn’t quite put on us the fast track for a summer garden. And it was already May. I really didn’t think we could pull it off.

Sometimes Crazy Ideas Work

Weeks went by and Jonathan’s enthusiasm for the project grew by leaps and bounds. A passionate gardener, he had always dreamed of building a stone wall and a beautiful patio for his garden. His excitement began to fuel my curiosity and sense of adventure.

But tackling the entire project ourselves would be daunting. So instead, we decided to act as the general contractor, do the planning and a lot of the work, and hire workers to do the heavy lifting. Now, we had a plan! And my husband was going to live his dream.

Here’s How We Did It

Once we made the decision, we plunged in!

• We immersed ourselves into the world of rock, stone, and gravel. We borrowed stacks of landscaping books from the library and watched how-to videos on YouTube.
• We hired two workers to help us move soil, build the stone wall, and add the top soil. Presto,

  

  Workers Leveling the Sloped Yard

  we had a terrace garden.

• We chose bluestone (a natural stone) for the patio and walkway and made the path 36” wide to be user friendly for anyone using a mobility device. We took multiple excursions to the local stone yard for bluestone (oops, we had a couple of counting mistakes) and hand selected more than 100 stone slabs, 1.5” thick for you DIYs. This was the fun part. It was like being in a candy store and each color variation looked more delicious than the next.
• I sketched out the walkway pattern with various shapes and sizes of colored stone.
• The same workers who helped build the terrace helped carry and lay the bluestone.

We Did It!

It took a lot of planning and hard work, far more then we ever expected, but I’m still in awe that we built a terraced garden. We now have a usable backyard that is both safe and accessible. Because we acted as our own general contractor, it didn’t cost us a bundle. For $6,000, we built the garden of our dreams, with ripe heirloom tomatoes and the sweetest beets I’ve ever tasted. Just as wonderful, we sometimes abandon our deck to sit on our terrace, surrounded by our garden plants, and immersed even more closely in the colors, scents, and sounds of the natural world. Looking back, I now realize that Jonathan’s dream of a terraced garden was my dream, too.

Visit RosemaryBakker.com and ThisCaringHome.org, a website for caregivers of persons with dementia. You can also find out more about her book, AARP Guide to Revitalizing Your Home: Beautiful Living for the Second Half of Life.

Photograph by Jay L. Clendenin/Aurora

It is lazy summer day and Wendy and George, avid birders, are visiting for the weekend. Over a delicious lunch with one of our local friends, Beth, we sit on the deck and watch the blue herons fly overhead. The conversation quickly turns from birding to country living and eventual retirement.

City dwellers for years, Wendy and George now long for a place in the country. Wendy is smitten by our new home and its views of the pond and wetlands. She asked how we found the place. Then came the broader, more important question, “How did you go about choosing a home? What did you look for?“

I didn’t have to think long. Too many relatives and clients have had to move out of their homes when they could no longer negotiate stairs or navigate small cramped spaces with a wheelchair or walker. Mon Dieu! As I age, I want to reduce my stress levels, not increase them.  I wanted a forever home so we could stay at home for as long as we liked.  Jonathan, my significant other, is a cancer survivor, and stairs and cramped spaces just wouldn’t do.

I knew what to tell Wendy:

First, look for a home you can grow old in. Accessibility is key.  I know the day will come when we’ll be grateful that our bedroom and bathroom are on the ground floor. This was non-negotiable for us.  And I made sure that each room was wheelchair friendly (5’ turning radius and 32” wide doorways) or that I could easily adapt by removing a wall or enlarging a doorway.

Related: Universal Design can help people age safely in their homes

But even first-floor living is difficult if there are steps to get into the house, so I wanted one that we could easily retrofit with a no-step entrance. When either of us needs to use a walker or wheelchair, the house will be ready! No last minute scrambling for a contractor. (Stay tuned reader – the no-step entrance project is slated for the fall.)

Second, make sure everything you need is nearby. We were lucky. Our house is a five-minute drive from a sprawling grocery store, a home improvement store (great for DIYers like us), and a hospital. And Amtrak is eight minutes away, so we can easily pop down to New York City. Did I mention the great restaurants?

Third, choose a community that’s easy to get around in. If the roads get too icy in winter, or eyesight fails, you’ll need alternative transportation. Buses, maybe, but at the least one or two reliable taxi services. This is really important.

Lastly, consider the view you dream of. A large lawn? A river, stream, or pond? A garden? I wanted a home that was surrounded by nature’s beauty.  We found ours on a beautiful green patch of wetlands.

Finally, for Wendy and George, and all bird lovers, make sure your house has trees and flowers, or, at the least, easy access to a wildlife sanctuary.  Oops, there’s goes another blue heron; hand me the binocs. Maybe they should just rent our upstairs.

Visit RosemaryBakker.com and ThisCaringHome.org, a website for caregivers of persons with dementia. You can also find out more about her book, AARP Guide to Revitalizing Your Home: Beautiful Living for the Second Half of Life.

A pull out cutting board offers a great work surface when seated.

I think I was born to cook. Ever since I was young, I’ve enjoyed cooking for friends and family. I even catered my own wedding reception for 80 when I was too young to know better. A large 3-tiered lime coconut wedding cake was the piece de resistance. But over the years the joy of cooking became more like the drudgery of cooking due to aching feet and nagging back aches. Hours of standing on an unforgiving stone floor and far too many acrobatic reaches, squats, and bends retrieving ingredients and cookware were taking their toll.

A cushioned mat eases the strain on feet and legs when standing in the kitchen.

This could have been a great excuse to order more takeout, but here are the four simple steps that put the joy back into cooking.

• Stand on a cushioned mat. Most kitchen flooring, whether it’s stone, tile, or wood (as beautiful as these surfaces may be), can stress your feet, legs, and back.  And if you have a touch of arthritis, you’re going to feel the discomfort all the more. The solution? Try a cushioned mat, made out of rubber, gel, or specialty foam. Manufacturers include GelPro (photo), Sublime, and RubberCal.

Make sure the mat has a non-slip backing, a textured non-slip surface, and beveled edges for increased safety. If you or a loved one has either a mobility impairment or low vision, be sure to get the flattest mat you can find. This will reduce tripping.

• Sit down more. If you have an eat-in kitchen, you already know that the island or dining table is a convenient place for food prep, especially if you’ve been on your feet all day. But if your kitchen is on the smallish side, swap an under-the-counter drawer for a pull-out chopping board. Voila! You now have a place to sit and prep. Manufacturers include Kraftsmaid (photo), Rev-A-Shelf, and Hafele

If you can’t spare a drawer, use a bar stool at the countertop.

Sliding shelves make tucked away items easy to reach.

If you’re remodeling, install a countertop section (30” wide and at a height of 30” – 32”) with no cabinets underneath for comfy legroom to sit and prep.

• Install flexible shelving.  Remember when we were younger and all kitchen shelving was fixed in place? Today’s kitchen designs are all about ergonomics and flexibility, and that includes sliding shelves in the refrigerator, pantry, and upper and lower cabinets. Your back (knees and hips too) will thank you. Manufacturers include Hafele (Photo), Rev-A-Shelf, and Slide Out Shelves LLC.
• Rethink the traditional oven.  Bending down to pull things out of the oven, especially something heavy like the Thanksgiving turkey, can wreak havoc on your back. Fortunately, there are alternative to the traditional oven. My good friend and next door neighbor, Anna, usesa large countertop toaster oven and raves about the convenience.

If you’re remodeling, install a separate cook top and a separate wall mounted oven at an easy-to-reach height. (I usually recommend that the bottom of the oven be at 30”- 34” above the floor.

I now do all my food prep standing on a comfy cushioned mat or sitting at the dining table. Sliding shelves and lazy susans are found throughout my cabinets and refrigerators. And for now, I’ll let my husband remove the cooked turkey from the oven until we remodel. I am back in the kitchen and loving it. Quel joy!

Visit RosemaryBakker.com and ThisCaringHome.org, a website for caregivers of persons with dementia. You can also find out more about her book, AARP Guide to Revitalizing Your Home: Beautiful Living for the Second Half of Life.

Photo courtesy of Vince Butler/BBC Builders

I don’t know about you, but I am not enamored of the bells and whistles on new stoves these days. Do I really need blower jets for crispier pizza or a new browning gizmo for crème brûlée?

What I do need, however, is a stove that won’t burn down the house.

I’ve been interested in cooking safety ever since my mother began to have signs of Alzheimer’s. When she was living alone (and not yet diagnosed), I would lay awake at night worrying whether Mom could still safely use the stove.

But you don’t have to have Alzheimer’s to forget food cooking on the stove.  Stress or the effects of medication can play havoc with short-term memory.  And, sometimes, it is unsafe behaviors—such as leaving a pot of food cooking on the stove unattended—that’s the danger. Several years ago, I was cooking paella and ran out of onions.  No problem, I thought, I’ll just pop in on Mary, my neighbor (she’s also my sister), who always keeps a well-stocked pantry.  Well, Mary and I started chatting, and before I knew it, 45 minutes flew by.

I totally forgot that I had a pot of rice cooking on the stove! When I returned home and opened the door, thick black smoke billowed out into the hallway.  Fortunately, there was no fire or building damage, but if I had been cooking fried chicken, there would be a different ending to this story. Lesson learned:  Now, I NEVER leave the house with food cooking on the stove, even if I think it’ll only be for a few minutes.

Photo courtesy of Vince Butler/BBC Builders

I’ve also been researching some of the newer safe cooking technologies. Below are my favorites:

1. Lower temperature safety burners. These energy-efficient, stovetop burners prevent fires from occurring on electric stovetops. The system includes cast-iron plates that install over each burner; the burners get hot enough to cook a meal but not hot enough for most household items to ignite. Available on new electric ranges or as a retrofit.

2. Induction cooking. This radically different cooking method uses a magnetic field to heat the cookware (there is no gas, flame, or hot surface). Only the pan and its contents are heated – not the cooktop surface. Available as a range, a cooktop, or as a hot plate.

3. Stove turn-off timers. These devices, equipped with a timer and a sensor, automatically turn off the stove after a set period of time when no movement is detected.

4. Automatic fire extinguishers. Installed under the range hood, these devices (either small cans or nozzles) automatically dispense a fire-suppressing agent onto the fire. The more expensive models also turn the stove off.

In addition to new technologies, I always use a timer when I cook.  Some traditions are keepers, and timers are one of them.  Look for timers with large, easy-to-read numerals, and loud, varied (high and low) alarm tones, which are easier for older adults to hear.

Visit RosemaryBakker.com and ThisCaringHome.org, a website for caregivers of persons with dementia. You can also find out more about her book, AARP Guide to Revitalizing Your Home: Beautiful Living for the Second Half of Life.

Table lamps boost overall lighting and can add warmth and charm to any room.

I don’t know about you, but I’m starting to realize that I need more light.

For starters, reading in bed is not as easy as it used to be. I have to adjust the angle of the book to catch the lamp light just right. Secondly, I can’t quite see shapes in the dark the way I could when I was younger. Just the other night I bumped into a door on my way to the bathroom. And finally, I have been spotted wearing two different colored socks recently. More light for the sock drawer?

Whether you’re like me, with normal aging vision, or you have a visual impairment, there is a lot you can do with lighting to see better. And if a loved one has a serious eye condition, keep in mind that the chances of falling in dim lighting is two to four times greater, so you’ll want to make sure that the living space is well lit.

One of the easiest and most effective ways to improve your vision is to boost your lighting. But that isn’t as easy as you might think. Here are a few tips to help you get started.

Reading lamp with a pivoting shade.

1. Add table lamps. Table lamps provide good “walking around light” and can also help illuminate the content of your drawers. I added a table lamp near my dresser and am happy to say that I am now wearing matching socks again. To get the best illumination, choose a good size lamp (22” to 30” high, depending on the space and your needs) and a shade that is not too opaque.

Good sources for reasonably priced table lamps include Walmart, Target, Lowes, and Grandinroad (shown in photo above: $69).

2. Use a adjustable reading or task lamp. I added a reading lamp near my bed and with light shining directly on the pages of my book, and since then reading in bed has become a pleasure again.

Task lamps have a pivoting shade that directs the light where you need it and some have an adjustable arm too, so you can raise and lower the light. They’re available from major home stores like Lowes, Home Depot (shown in photo, $34) and Target.

Reading lamp with a pivoting shade, an adjustable arm, and a full spectrum bulb for better contrast.

3. Get the Right Bulb. You’ll want to test different kinds of lighting to determine what is most comfortable for you. The most popular energy efficient bulb on the market today is the compact fluorescent bulb (CFL), readily available in home stores and now even in grocery stores. But with so many types of CFLs to choose from, finding the right bulb can be daunting.

Energystar.gov has a good primer on how to choose light bulbs: put “light bulb” in the search box. (Or click here) For starters, CFLs come in different wattages than the standard incandescent bulb; I use a 15 watt soft white CFL for my reading lamp (equal to a 60 watt incandescent bulb).

The output of a 15 watt OttLite bulb is roughly equivalent to that of a 60 watt incandescent bulb.

If you or a loved one has low vision, consider a “full spectrum” CFL bulb. This type of bulb increases contrast and clarity and reduces glare, features very much appreciated by anyone with low vision. Some lamps are exclusively designed for full spectrum bulbs or you can buy just the bulb to use in your own lamp. Main sources for full spectrum lamps and bulbs are Ott-Lite (shown in photo, $59 and up; price depends on where you buy it, so shop carefully), Verilux and DayLite Company.

Torchieres with fluorescent bulbs can dramatically light up a small room.

4. Add a Floor Lamp. To brighten up a small dim space, consider a torchiere with a fluorescent bulb. These uplights are very effective floor lamps as they direct light toward the ceiling, creating indirect, easy-on-the-eyes lighting. They are widely available at major home stores; prices start around $50.

Caption: Torchieres with fluorescent bulbs can dramatically light up a small room.

5. Use Night Lights! I have night lights throughout our house – in the living room, bathroom, hallways, kitchen, and, of course, our bedroom. (And I always travel with one – no more dark hotel rooms.) I prefer colored LED (Light Emitting Diode) lights that emit easy on the eyes soft blue or green light. LED lights cost only pennies a year to operate and are cool to the touch. For quirky spaces, like a hallway that doesn’t have an outlet, use an LED battery operated sensor night light. LED night lights are widely available at major home stores; prices start around $5.00.

The best thing about the relatively low cost of changing your lighting is that you can experiment until you find just the right combination of design and illumination. It also feels good to freshen up your space, knowing that you’re doing something that is beneficial for you or a loved one.

You might even start wearing the same colored socks!

A soothing, safer bedroom for better mobility and comfort.

We spend one third of our lives in our bedrooms and, like you, I want to relish the time I spend there. But that’s not so easy if the bedroom is cramped, cluttered, or uncomfortably warm or chilly. And for anyone who spends more time in the bedroom because of a medical condition, a comfortable bedroom is a must.

If you’re looking for ideas on how to redo your bedroom, read on.  I’ll share with you three simple things I did to transform our small bedroom into a safe oasis.

1. Open up the space. Although the views out the windows are expansive, the room is not. To put it simply, this master bedroom is no Versailles.  In order to create a little breathing space, I decided to remove the built-in bookcases; in a small room, every inch of floor space counts.

Built-ins were removed to open up the space.

Using a pry bar, a sledge hammer, and some real zest, the bookcases were soon gone. The extra space we gained made the room feel palatial! Not only does the room feel larger, but the added floor space is great for my husband Jonathan who uses a walking stick (the one he carved from a tree branch, hanging on the chair in the photograph). Now we can easily move the chair out if a walker or a wheelchair is needed.

2. Clear the floor.  Even though I love the look and warmth of area carpets, I no longer use them: they’re way too easy to trip on, and at this stage in life, why chance it? After all, there’s a lot in life we cannot control, so when we can, I say, seize the opportunity! Best advice?  Choose wall-to-wall carpeting or, like we did, bare wood floors.

3. Hang the proper window coverings.  For the windows, I used a layered approach; soft flowing drapes for privacy and solar shades to keep the heat out in the summer. For the drapes, I chose a calming woodsy neutral tone. My favorite sources for ready-made drapes are Pottery Barn, Ballard Designs, and Country Curtains

The energy efficiency solar shades I decided on are made with a mesh fabric that lets in natural light, provides good views, and protects from heat and glare. A great combination, don’t you think?  By the way, you can choose a solar material with an ultra-thin aluminum backing for extra efficiency come winter.

A room with a view but too little floor space.

I made my own solar shades with solar screen fabric I purchased by the yard. I “repurposed” a shade roller from the guest room and bought tension rods for the bay window. I’m using white, since it reflects more heat,  and a view through weave so I can still see the magnificent blue herons flying over the wetlands. I cut the material to size and sewed hems at the top and bottom. Voila, now I have solar shades!

Ready-made solar shades are widely available but if you want to DIY, you can purchase solar fabric by the yard at several online stores, including Oem Shades, Interior Malls, and North Solar Screen. (Prices vary dramatically among online stores, so shop for the best price.)  Expect to pay around $35 and up per yard; widths vary from 44 inches to 118 inches. If you want to go green, there is now a wide selection of eco-friendly solar materials to choose from.

My husband and I just love the new bedroom. We now have a safer, more comfortable refuge, a great place to relax and unwind, and more room to move about. And, hopefully, lower energy bills come the summer and winter!

What changes can you make to transform your bedroom into a safer oasis? I’d love to hear from you.  Let’s share.

Visit RosemaryBakker.com and ThisCaringHome.org, a website for caregivers of persons with dementia. You can also find out more about her book, AARP Guide to Revitalizing Your Home: Beautiful Living for the Second Half of Life.

Bamboo shades with semi-translucent privacy liner. Pretty and affordable!

It’s cherry blossom time in New York and, besides gardening, I’ve become obsessed with window coverings. Spring brings the promise of guests and the brilliance of the summer sun and, quite frankly, I’m not prepared for either. I’ve removed the former owner’s black out shades in the guest room, but haven’t gotten around to replacing them. It feels bare. Not exactly the feeling you’re after in a guest bedroom, is it?

The master bedroom, which looks out over the wetlands, needs new window coverings to keep out the summer sun. Reducing our energy bill would be nice too.

Original black out shades in the guest room.

Choosing among all the options for window coverings can be daunting, even for a designer! I spent hours combing through dreamy window treatments in magazines and mail order catalogs. I was tempted by elegant drapes, cooling solar shades, and the natural beauty of bamboo, but weeks went by and I still had nothing ordered, let alone installed.

Our good friends Tom and Susie saved the day by accepting an invitation to visit. There’s nothing like a deadline to spring one into action.

Now it came down to the bare essentials of need: privacy, views, and sun and natural light. And of course, I wanted the window coverings to be beautiful and eco-friendly – and on a budget.

That’s a tall order, but here’s how I did it:

• The shady guest room faces the road so I needed a window covering that would provide privacy. And the look and feel I was after was a simple clean line that was also warm and inviting. After all, good friends are one of life’s greatest tonics, and I wanted our guests to feel welcome and comfortable. (And I didn’t want to be thrown into an “Oh no, the rooms looks so bare” panic every time guests were coming).
• I also wanted the window covering to allow daylight to pass through even when the shade was down. Beyond aesthetics (diffused light is beautiful), I also wanted the room to be safe.  Soft daylight could help prevent our guests from tripping over a stray shoe, a sock, or a glossy magazine that somehow find their way onto the bedroom floor.
• Bamboo shades with a semi-translucent privacy lining were an easy choice since they block the view from outside yet allow daylight to filter through. And I love the warmth and pattern of the wood. At $69, they were a great buy, especially since the store cut them to my window size at no extra charge. You can find a variety of bamboo shades in major home stores, including Home Depot, Target, and Lowes (shade in photo above).

Left: My husband Jonathan and good friends Tom and Susie

In my next blog, we’ll explore the master bedroom, where I’ll be layering the windows with natural fabrics and energy efficient solar shades.

By the way, Jonathan and I had a great visit with Tom and Susie. We enjoyed savory meals, walks in the wetlands, and long conversations by the fire. And thanks to our good friends, we now have a welcoming guest room that offers both beautiful diffused light and privacy.

Mission accomplished. Now it’s time to go garden. 

Visit RosemaryBakker.com and ThisCaringHome.org, a website for caregivers of persons with dementia. You can also find out more about her book, AARP Guide to Revitalizing Your Home: Beautiful Living for the Second Half of Life.

Before we had to park in the carport beneath the house.

Believe me, I know. I bought my first home six months ago, and my list of things to do grows longer every day.

Like you, I long for a beautiful home, but I also need it to be safe and accessible, especially for my husband, a cancer survivor for eight years. He now lives with the effects of the disease and of ongoing chemo treatments.

Once an intrepid hiker, he has lost his sure footedness and teeters when he walks. Obviously, safety rules. But I can’t give up the dreamy stuff that design is made of: large windows, an abundance of light and beautiful views.

When we moved in last summer, high on my to do list was a floor to ceiling picture window overlooking the beautiful bird-filled wetlands behind the house. Lower on the list was a new driveway that would bring us closer to the front door; we didn’t need it right away, or so I thought.

Workers ready the new driveway before the snow falls.

But as my stress skyrocketed watching my husband stumble up the stone steps from the driveway to the front door, I had a change of heart. Winter was coming and that meant snow and ice. Let’s see: picture window or fewer falls and greater peace of mind?

Mon Dieu, what a choice!

As you can see, the new driveway won out. If there is one thing I’ve learned it is that our lives are unpredictable. I’ve witnessed first hand how some of my clients’ lives were turned upside down when a crisis struck (like a serious fall). I didn’t want that to happen to us. And for a major home improvement, the new driveway didn’t cost a bundle – about $4,000. We opted for gravel, a less expensive and more eco-friendly surface than asphalt.

Honestly, I love the new driveway; it was the best $4,000 I ever spent. Not only do I have greater peace of mind, but carrying the groceries into the house is so much easier now. The more accessible driveway has also made the home more welcoming to family and friends, including my nephew Danny, who is a wheelchair user, and my friend Jane, who has a hard time climbing stairs. Even her aging dog, Fred, benefits.

When we make our homes safer and more accessible, we all win, don’t we?

• So if you are pondering how to start making your home age-friendly, look for your greatest needs, and begin there.
• Keep in mind that it can take time to come up with a good solution.
• After several brainstorming sessions, a new driveway, closer to the entrance, was the best solution for our situation.
• The new path to the front door is much shorter and has only two steps.
• This summer, we’ll put in a sloping walkway from the new driveway to the front door so there will be no steps to climb at all. (Stay tuned for Part 2.)

The finished product.

As I write this blog, I see that it is all about how to begin. A fitting topic for a new blog, don’t you think? Throughout my blog posts, we’ll dig into projects large and small, from walk-in showers to comfortable seating, and we’ll explore how to design and decorate beautifully and on a budget. This is an opportunity to get creative, share ideas, and encourage each other to make those changes that will keep us and our loved ones safe and comfortable in our own homes. And we’ll have a lot of fun along the way, exploring a new way to design and a new way to live.

We want to do more than sit by the window and dream, don’t we? How have you made your home safer and more comfortable? I’d love to hear from you. Let’s share.

Visit RosemaryBakker.com and ThisCaringHome.org, a website for caregivers of persons with dementia.