Rockville, MD -- (ReleaseWire) -- 01/16/2019 --Faced with the care of elderly parents while young adult children are still living at home, an increasing number of families in Falls Church, Virginia, have opted to modify their houses to accommodate the needs of aging family members. Such renovations require the services of a qualified designer and builder, who has the knowledge and experience to plan and execute a specialized "aging-in-place" home remodel.
Glickman Design Build, a local design and remodeling firm serving the Falls Church area, has been an invaluable partner for these families in their quest to establish a comfortable home environment for all members, regardless of age or physical ability.
The company, led by Russ Glickman, has over four decades of design and construction experience, and specializes in both accessible design and residential universal design. Accessible design is simply the process of planning a space that is adapted to the special needs of those with physical limitations, such as the elderly. Residential universal design is the art and science of creating home spaces that are both visually appealing and fully functional for all family members and visitors.
Russ Glickman's accessible design expertise was inspired by the needs of his own family: "I learned how to modify for [my son] Michael's needs, which taught me how to modify other people's homes for other people's special needs," Glickman explains.
Adaptations to the home's exterior, such as adding a wheelchair ramp or chair lift that's fully integrated into the front porch or deck, or the augmentation of front porch steps with a gradually sloping walkway culminating in a "zero step" home entrance, are just some of the ways Glickman Design Build can make the multi-generational home more accessible for older members, while maintaining its design aesthetic.
Inside a multi-generational Falls Church home, Glickman can build a separate space, commonly known as an "in-law suite," for aging relatives. Within the in-law suite, Glickman enhances the aging-in-place living space with accessibility options such as: motion sensors for hands-free lighting activation, reducing the risk of accidents for mobility-challenged parents; pull-out kitchen drawers, lessening the need for bending or kneeling to access pots and pans; shower benches or foldaway shower seats, decreasing the chance of falls by providing extra stability. Widened doorways with smooth floor transitions pave the way for current or future wheelchair use, while space-saving pocket doors provide privacy. Specialized task lighting helps older relatives compensate for age-related vision challenges, and door levers and levered faucets furnish relief for arthritic hands. Non-slip flooring and widened walkways in the common areas of the home allow aging relatives to easily and safely enjoy shared family spaces, without compromising the home's visual appeal.
When designed and built by industry experts like Glickman Design Build, aging-in-place modifications offer families in Falls Church, Virginia an alternative to assisted living facilities, keeping aging relatives close and facilitating their care while providing for the needs of all members.
About Glickman Design Build
Glickman Design Build is the leading resource for accessible and universal design remodeling in Washington, D.C. and other surrounding communities.