Homecare seminar, Part 2: I am part of the problem

At the Homecare Omnimedia One-day Summit on Home Renovations, Johnathan White is the first speaker. He is an architect from Buffalo that is connected to the accessibility industry in the US. He is helping us understand why the industry is hard getting off the ground. One of the difficulties is that homeowners don’t want to admit that they need home modifications to accommodate advancing disabilities. They tend to adjust their behaviour to their environment rather than adjust their environment.

There is a stigma attached to admitting there is a need for help or that aging changes things. It’s like boomers or elderly that have magazines written for them they don’t want to be seen with because it is an admission that they are old. The organization Canadian Association of Retired Persons (CARP) has that kind of problem, too. Signing up seems like giving up. Not to mention it is hard to get anyone to join an organization with a name like CARP.

I am exhibit number one. At 57 and with a back that is increasingly restricting how I can live my life, I still don’t consider that I am one of those who need home modifications that recognize my limitations. In fact, I sure AS HELL don’t think I need anything but what a healthy person needs. When I think of advocating for renovators to get serious about this segment of the industry, I see my self as part of the service provision, not part of the “service needy.”

So how does the industry identify with something no one wants to admit? I am not sure, and am open to suggestions from you.