NYT: Calling for “Silver” (Higher) Standards in Architecture and Design

Dr. Louise Aronson, a clinical professor in Geriatrics at University of California San Francisco, wrote a great piece in the New York Times recently, calling for a “silver” standard for architecture and design, to better meet the needs of older adults in public and private accommodations, while also making life easier and safer for everyone.  She explains:

“I unloaded the walker and led my 82-year-old father through the sliding glass doors. Inside, there was a single bench made of recycled materials. I noticed it didn’t have the arm supports that a frail elderly person requires to safely sit down and get back up. It was a long trek to the right clinic and I was double-parked outside. Helping my father onto the bench, I said, “Wait here,” and hoped he would remember to do so long enough for me to park and return.

 

He nodded. We were used to this. It happened almost everywhere we went: at restaurants, the bank, the airport, department stores. Many of these places — our historic city hall, with its wide steps and renovated dome, the futuristic movie theater and the new clinic — were gorgeous.

 

The problem was that not one of them was set up to facilitate access by someone like my father.”

The irony was that the medical center building Dr. Aronson was writing about was brand new and renowned for its “green” design.  Nonetheless, it was failing to meet the practical needs of its many silver-haired clients. 

For more on how a revolution — and incentives — are needed to better meet the needs of an aging world, see “New Buildings for Older People.”