A House to Live In and Die In

A House to Live In and Die In

This means that people can live in their houses until they pass away.  Sound like that’s asking a lot?  Why do most people end up in a Nursing Home in the final days, weeks and months before they die?  Good question.  Architect Rand Soellner knows how to extend your stay in the house that you love before needing to relocate somewhere else.  In fact, you may not have to move out of your comfortable house, if it has been designed to allow you to remain there.

If you choose to have in-house nursing care people to assist you in your final days, you may be able to remain in your familiar, comfortable house.  There are several features of your house that need to be designed by an architect knowledgeable with accessible friendly principles.

For instance, Rand Soellner says: “To a person in a wheelchair, the normal 4-1/2″ step up threshold at a shower is like the Grand Canyon.”  Soellner has special ways of detailing this situation so that most of his clients can simply roll into his showers with no step-up.  Same thing regarding the standard step up from garages.  Soellner’s designs don’t have that.  And there are many more conditions, thoughtfully designed to accommodate people with mobility issues, such as wider than normal doorways throughout the residence.

Do these features make the house feel institutional?  Quite the opposite.  Soellner’s “Accessible Friendly” designs feel more spacious, avoid tripping hazards and help his houses feel more open.

Soellner finds it interesting, when his clients come to him and ask him to design a house in which they can: “Live in and die in.”   When first asked this, decades ago, Soellner wasn’t sure what they meant, but he caught on, understanding that people do Not want to be shipped off to some cold, unfamiliar place of stainless steel handrails, moaning people, bustling strangers, and questionable food.  And where their loved ones have to make an appointment to see them.  Better to have your architect build in the features you need, to allow you to stay in your beloved residence.

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