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Everything I do is the environment.

-Arthur Boyd

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I told my grandmother about our plans and asked her to walk through the house
with me to share any problems she might currently have or could envision in the
future. Her first suggestion was to move everything upstairs, including her bed, to a
lower floor, but this seemed impractical. Instead, weǯre going to look at
reconditioned stair lifts. Most have been used for only a short time, and we like the
idea of being able to extend the life of a pre-owned model, both to save Grandma
some money and to be greener.

With that problem solved, Grandma indicated that there were several dark areas
around the house where she could use more lighting. We told her we would be
happy to replace her current bulbs with brighter fluorescent lights that would give
her much longer between changes, and save energy. Then, she would not have to
call us to change them as often. This made her happy because she loves to feel
independent and hates to ask us for help, and it would save us time too.




 

  

Even though Grandma can still get in and out of the shower, she does feel a bit
unsteady on the slippery surfaces. We put handrails and a shower seat on the list of
adaptations for the bathroom. These will not only assist her to bend and sit, but they
will make us feel that we have done something to keep her safe. I plan to get these
items second-hand from a friend who is renovating his bathroom.

While we were working on the house, we also decided to remove the smaller floor
rugs which could cause Grandma to trip. I plan to give these away on FreeCycle to a
younger couple who can use them. My husband also plans to widen all of the
doorways and remove the hallway doors just in case Grandma needs to use a
wheelchair in the future. Again, we will offer the doors on Freecycle rather than
sending them to landfill.

One issue my husband raised is that Grandma spends most of her day sitting down
and therefore tends to feel the cold. Like many elderly people, she keeps her heating
on all day. We looked at the various options to find a greener solution. Grandmaǯs
heating comes from electric storage heaters. We decided it would be very disruptive
and impractical to put in a completely new green heating system. However, we have
compromised by switching Grandma over to a green energy company, which
supplies electricity generated by wind turbines.

We are currently researching what financial help is available to seniors who want to
put new insulation in their homes. Grandma already has cavity wall insulation, but
by adding thicker insulation to the attic space, she could reduce her energy bills and
help the planet. Iǯve read about eco-friendly insulation made from sheepǯs wool, so
this is something I plan to look into.

Grandma has double-glazed windows, but her curtains are unlined. To help keep the
heat in, Iǯm in the process of sewing linings into the curtains and adding pulls to
make them easier to open and close. Grandma has always had a Dzmake do and
menddz philosophy, so sheǯs pleased that Iǯm reusing her old curtain fabric.

Another thing that became apparent as we went from room to room is that Grandma
is struggling with housework. I try to do a bit of cleaning whenever I visit, but Iǯve
decided a better solution is for Grandma to get a cleaner. I saw an ad for a local
cleaner who uses only eco-friendly cleaning products, and have employed her to
clean Grandmaǯs house once a week. This arrangement is working well. Not only is
the house kept clean in a way that minimizes the impact on the environment,
Grandma enjoys having a chat with the cleaner!

The cleaner is also very good about putting Grandmaǯs newspapers, bottles and cans
in the recycling box outside. Weǯve bought Grandma a new container for her kitchen
that has separate compartments for trash and recyclable items, so it is much easier
for her to recycle her waste.

Weǯve made some other changes in the kitchen too, to make life easier and safer for
Grandma. First of all we had a good clear out and donated any items that never got
used to the local charity shop. Once we had identified the crockery, cutlery, pots and
pans that Grandma uses regularly, Iǯve made sure these are now stored at a lower
level and within easy reach, to avoid Grandma having to bend or reach up. My
husband has adapted the larder by making some pull-out shelves and drawers so
that items are easily accessible.

We feel good about all of the changes weǯve made and those we still plan to make.
Weǯve tried to keep them as green as we can with as little waste as possible. At the
very least, we hope weǯve managed to make my grandmotherǯs house comfortable
enough for her to
   


 








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(photo Neeta Lind)

http://www.aginginplace.com