This Oregon garden is designed for aging in place – oregonlive.com

As the mirror delights in telling me every morning, Im not getting any younger.

But at least I have plenty of company.

By 2034, according to Danielle Arigoni, AARPs director of livable communities (and a 1991 University of Oregon grad), there will be more people 65 and over than there are 18 and under for the first time in U.S. history.

Which is why aging in place and how best to do it is such a major issue now, one that will only become more important in the next several decades.

Its a massive demographic tipping point, Arigoni says. A 2018 AARP survey found 75% of those 50 (what I call those kids) and over want to age in their own home, and the percentages grew even higher in older age groups.

Much has been written about what to do to make a residences interior best suited for homeowners as they age. (See AARPs very informative and very free Home Fit guide.)

But less has been shared about how to make a private garden accessible as people age into their 70s, 80s and 90s. The American Society of Landscape Architects has addressed public spaces and gardens, but not private residences.

Which is where Jane Coombs, a retired landscape designer, comes in.

A few years ago, Jane and husband, Peter Dowse, knew it was time to move out of their beloved 1914 Craftsman in Sellwood. With stairs leading up to the entry, an upstairs master bedroom and a basement laundry room, the home was all the things aging-in-place experts dont recommend.

So it was that they found themselves in a one-story house in Milwaukie and Jane, with 30-plus years of landscape design experience, had a 10,000-square-foot, relatively blank canvas to work with outdoors.

And in the process of designing her garden, she always kept in mind what would work best for her and her husband 10 years down the road.

When Im 90, she explains, I wont be able to maintain the garden the way I can now.

This thinking led Jane to incorporate aging-in-place design principles in her front and back gardens, many of which weve included in the tips.

They include flat, navigable surfaces for wheelchairs and walkers, a step-free entry from inside the house to the patio, easy-maintenance plants, plenty of seating and multiple hose bibs. A LOT of hose bibs. OK, eight, to be exact.

Jane Coombs' garden offers lots of comfortable seating in the shade.Marcia Westcott Peck

Marcia:

A very dear friend of mine from high school, Oklahoma State University assistant professor Emily Roberts, has her doctorate in environmental gerontology, a field that seeks to optimize the relationship between the elderly and their physical and social environment.

I learned from her that connection to the outdoors and nature can ease and prolong a persons life, even if its just looking out the window from either a hospital bed or your own home. Having access physically or visually to nature is extremely beneficial to our well-being as we age.

The concept of biophilia, originally written about by the American biologist and naturalist E.O. Wilson, suggests we as humans innately possess a tendency to seek connections with nature and other forms of life.

Using that principle can help seniors thrive and stay independent and autonomous for as long as possible as they age in place.

Emily explained to me that its important to realize that whatever brought us pleasure throughout our lives doesnt diminish as we age. Instead, it brings back good memories that we enjoy even more, along with a sense-of-place attachment, the feelings that we hold for places and things that mean a lot and serve as reminders of the past.

So if you enjoyed your garden or nature when you were younger, it might be even more important as a way to stay healthy physically and emotionally as you age.

Gardens can be very therapeutic for us as we get older, so having safe access to them for as long as possible is important.

As I age, I know I will want to be gardening for as long as I can. It has always grounded me and brought me great pleasure. If I have one addiction, its gardening.

Biophilia Im a card-carrying, certified biophiliac!

I would add that not only is it important to connect to the garden as we age, but for any of the same reasons it can help us deal with the COVID-19 crisis, fires, protests and election craziness that seem to be overwhelming us at times.

Biophilia, indeed!

This art leaf water feature promotes health in Jane Coombs' garden.Marcia Westcott Peck

Art in Jane Coombs' garden.Marcia Westcott Peck

THINKING OF MOVING?

Most people know to look for a single-story dwelling, but one area they undercontemplate, or dont contemplate at all, is transportation, according to the AARPs Arigoni. Ask yourself if there are ways to get around once you cannot drive (on average, people live 7-10 years past when they can no longer drive). Are there bike lanes, public transportation, pedestrian walkways?

HOME FIT GUIDE

The AARP publication provides guidance for anyone wanting to make their home inclusive for all ages, whether they are homeowners or renters. According to the guide, Its about making sure your home is accessible to everyone.

You can download it online or AARP will send you a free copy upon request.

HELPFUL LINKS

Marcia Westcott Peck is a landscape designer (mwplandscape.com or find her on Instagram at @pecklandscape or on Facebook by searching for The Pecks), and Dennis Peck is a former senior editor at The Oregonian/OregonLive.

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This Oregon garden is designed for aging in place - oregonlive.com