Katherine Frey/THE WASHINGTON POST - Bill Cousins makes a cup of tea. He widened the galley kitchen, added lots of drawers, some extra wide for easier access, and has space under his stovetop and sink to pull up his wheelchair.
About seven years ago, Bill Cousins realized he was having more difficulty climbing the stairs of his home in the Chevy Chase neighborhood, a result of aging and his post-polio syndrome.
Cousins, a widower who is now 88, said he felt his independence in his home in Northwest Washington slipping away.
But he learned that by making some key modifications to his Cape Cod and joining an organization that provides various in-home services to elderly people, he could perhaps stay.
Over a period of about five years, he installed an elevator, erected ramps and widened his kitchen to accommodate a wheelchair. He lowered his light switches on the walls and put in an easier-to-use kitchen faucet. He also joined a senior “village” organization, which among other services provides rides to doctor’s appointments and periodically checks in with him to make sure he’s okay.
In the Washington region, the population of people 65 and older rose 29 percent from 2000 to 2010, according to the Brookings Institution. That has spurred a number of new programs in the “aging in place” movement, which aims to help elderly people such as Cousins remain in their homes rather than relocate to assisted-living facilities.
“I’m an independent man,” said Cousins, who’s lived in the house since 1968. “I don’t like to be on an institution schedule. I don’t take well to rules I don’t agree with.”
The movement to accommodate elderly people in their homes is growing rapidly in this region, with villages becoming a more popular option.
Villages, typically organized by geographic areas and neighborhoods, are run by nonprofit groups that recruit volunteers to provide the most-needed services for older people who want to remain in their homes. By paying an annual fee of about $500, elderly people can receive transportation and technology services and lists of approved repair vendors. They also may participate in social clubs and activities.
The District has six villages, with a seventh in Cleveland Park expected to open later this year. Montgomery County has four active villages, with three more to emerge soon, according to Elinor Ginzler, director of the Jewish Council for the Aging’s Center for Supportive Services.
And Northern Virginia has three in operation, with four more in development, said Barbara Sullivan, a member of the Fairfax County Long Term Care Coordinating Council and executive director of Mount Vernon at Home.
“What’s happening here in D.C. is part of a national phenomenon,” said Elizabeth Fox, board member of the now-forming Cleveland Park Village. “It’s a very collaborative situation for something that is really grass-roots-based.”
Remodeling for accessibility
Because of his degenerative post-polio syndrome, Cousins said he knew he was going to shift from a walker to a wheelchair. So when he started a major renovation of his home, he included accessibility elements.
Over time, he modified the height of the front stairs (while he was still walking); installed a lift onto the front porch for his wheelchair and a ramp off the back deck; moved the wall of his galley kitchen out 18 inches; and installed a special bathroom with sink, shower and toilet that easily accommodate a wheelchair.
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