This older style kitchen with some contemporary items and a clean look provides a good mix of solutions that appeals to the client and their ability to age in place within very comfortable surroundings.
Remembering our roots
There are plenty of experiences from the past which translate well into today’s issues as we continue aging in place in our homes. Certainly, technology has made major strides in the past several years. Our clothing, furniture and appliances, and many other consumables look strikingly different than they have been in prior years, and we have more choices and styles from which to select. Many of the items we used today simply did not exist in years past. And yet, there remains an underlying consistency for the way we approach our daily tasks. The tools we use to accomplish those tasks may look and feel different, but they are used in similar ways to what we have been doing.
Because of the way things have remained essential consistent in our basic daily needs and requirements – sleeping, meal preparation and eating, bathing and grooming, keeping abreast of current events, taking care of our living space, providing for others in our household, and taking care of our personal recreational needs (reading or listening to an audiobook, playing solitaire, watching TV, listening to music, doing puzzles, and similar activities) – many ways of approaching what we need to accomplish on a daily basis are relatively the same over time.
Changing times doesn’t mean abandonment
The look of many things we use frequently has changed, but the basic nature of them has not. Our clothing, appliances, and furniture may have a more contemporary design than in previous years, but we still require the same function from them. We don’t need to abandon or relearn what we have been accustomed to doing.
The point is that just because the world is a different place today than it was a generation or two ago, it isn’t necessarily wanting us to turn our back on what worked or was expected or desired at that earlier time.
There was a time when people would purchase a new car every year or possibly every two years. While not everyone did this, this was a very common practice. For one thing, cars had their styling updated every year. It was easy to tell what model year someone was driving. Also, they weren’t built to last for years or even decades although many of them did because people gave them additional care.
Now, so many cars look similar, and models aren’t noticeably changed in appearance from year to year. They are built with components that are designed to last several years. Therefore, multiple-year warranties and payment plans are consistent with the anticipated lifetimes of modern vehicles.
Appealing to long-term desires
Knowing that people like using what they have and what they can depend on working for them, recommending changes for the sake of just making a change may not resonate so well with older clients. There has to be an underlying benefit for them other than styling or the fact that it is new.
Therefore, as we meet with our clients and help them evaluate what they have in their home, what they like to use, what works for them, and what would make their lifestyle even better for them, we can pinpoint those items that will help them continue to enjoy their independence by enhancing it and not necessarily replacing or updating what seems to be working well for them already