Space for Senior Living?

 I've entered the geriatric stage of my existence, so it's only natural I notice ads that target my age group. Not long ago, a full-page ad for a "senior living facility" appeared in the local paper. 

Here's a section of the ad that shows what the typical apartment looks like. Even though the resolution on my scan isn't good, you get the idea: it's a bright and efficient apartment.

As an elderly cripple, I knew right away that this wasn't the kind of place where I'd want to live. I don't know if the rather bland furniture shown in the living room is included or not, but it—and the apartment in general—certainly aren't practical for me. Here's why:

• I need a rollator to walk any distance. My rollator wouldn't fit between the flimsy coffee table and the sofa or between the stools and the easy chair. (Why would there be stools? Do the designers of this place think old crippled folks can actually climb up on stools?)
• The tables in front of the sofa look flimsy. I can't tell if they have glass tops or not, but they're the sort of tables that would give way if I stumbled and fell into them. 
• Because the rug doesn't cover the whole floor, I'm likely to catch my toe on the edge of it and trip. The un-rugged floor space looks slick. If—and sometimes when—I fall, I want to land on carpet, and I need sturdy furniture to grab onto so I don't fall all the way down. 
• It would be next to impossible for me to get up from that sofa and the ottomans if I were able to sit down on them in the first place. (Do old folks really sit on ottomans? How?) I need furniture that will allow me to grab onto it if necessary and that will stay in place if I have to use it to pull myself off the floor. (That's why I currently have This End Up furniture. It's rugged and stays put.)
• I tend to spill coffee and stuff, so that light upholstery would be covered in coffee stains in no time
• I prefer a bit more privacy than those big floor-to-ceiling windows give. Without curtains or blinds (I couldn't tell from the picture if they had any), those windows would let in a lot of glare, not to mention the stares of passersby. And what about birds not realizing the windows are there and crashing into them?  Those big windows would be a pain to clean. I can't reach that high and I dare not climb on anything. I also like windowsills to hang onto when I look out the window. 
• The view from the windows seems to be another building. Two decades of living in a rural area has spoiled me—I want my view to be woods and fields and nature.
• The cramped kitchen—too small for me to navigate my rollator—is open to a dining area, so diners would have to see all the mess from meal preparation. And all those counter angles and edges are just waiting to cause an accident. 

This whole "living space" doesn't fit my idea of living. It's too sparse and depressing. I like to be surrounded by comfortable clutter. And books. Where is the space for bookcases? I have bookcases in five different rooms of my current "living space."

Where's the computer set-up and the printer in that apartment? Sometimes I use the iMac, the laptop, and maybe one of the iPads simultaneously. They all fit on my big—and sturdy—desk. Where would I put my desk and all my techno-stuff in that "living space"?

How could I manage my gang of cats in an apartment like that? Sure, they'd like their big cat tower in front of the big windows where they could watch passing—or crashing—birds, but where would I put their litter boxes? And how would I close the cats out of the dining area? And where's the floor space to put down a few dishes of food?

I'm lucky to have a house functions well for old folks—a kitchen roomy enough to maneuver in, a laundry area in the kitchen, a minimum of steps to enter the house, a dining room and living room closed off by doors that keep the cats out), a lower level with space for a care-giver (and an outside entrance onto a patio), a study for computers and printers, etc.

Whether you're thinking about growing older where you are (as I am) or moving to a more accessible place, here's an article about 8 simple tips to designing living spaces for seniors that you might find useful. 

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