Wausau, WI— For a generation that rocked out to “Born to be Wild,” thoughts about retirement have always seemed to be somewhere far off in the future. But aging is inevitable, and the teenagers of yesteryear are suddenly looking at a major decisions regarding future housing options – including, in some cases, assisted living communities. With this in mind, Chairs and Cares is hoping to present an aging population – as well as those who are physically challenged – with a personal and comfortable alternative designed for maximum accessibility and ease of use.

Helping Hands

Located on the campus of the Northcentral Technical College in Wausau, WI, the Chairs and Cares model accessible home is two stories tall and measures 4,600 square feet. According to Wayne Geurink, president of Chairs and Cares Model Accessible Home, the vision for the showhouse came from meetings of a spinal chord injury support group.

“At every meeting, people continually commented about how nice it would be if there was a place to experience the products related to accessibility,” he says.

The house, which features donated bath products from Lasco Bathware, was designed to operate as a showcase home for people with disabilities and inabilities, while offering contractors, kitchen and design professionals, students and the community information regarding the different technological alternatives and modifications available to help aging and disabled individuals live independently.

“We had an 18-member advisory board consisting of people with disabilities and medical professionals, along with people from occupations related to building design and building codes,” explains Geurink.

The home is operated by Midstate Independent Living Consultants, a national disabilities resource organization member. The organizations participating in this project include Northcentral Technical College, MILC, Aging and Disability Resource Center and Projected Tomorrows.

Universal Chef

According to Geurink, the kitchen was designed in a U-shape to allow space for wheelchair users to turn around. In the 162-sq.-ft. area, the custom cherry wood cabinets are all height-adjustable with loop-style pull handles, and feature roll-out and drop-down shelves. All of the corner cabinets include drawers, so less bending and reaching is required. Additionally, an 8-½" toe kick area, outfitted with a vacuum system for quick cleanup is located under the base cabinets.