
I recently had the opportunity to interview a baby boomer who was using a wheel chair at a public event. As an interior designer interested in baby boomers and aging in place, I was anxious to gain the insight he had to offer me based on his personal experience.
He told me that he can get up out of his chair and has limited mobility, but with tremendous pain. He first began using a cane, and then went to a walker. He decided to quit the use of a walker when he realized that his comfort was worth more than what other people thought; that his comfort was worth more than his own vanity.
I asked him how it was to be in a public space using a wheel chair and he said it’s great. People are actually nicer to him and more helpful to him since he began using the wheel chair over the cane. In fact, he said he and his wife just returned from a plane trip to Dollywood where everyone was very helpful and each place they visited had a wheel chair for him to use and each place was easily accessible.
I marveled at this man’s choices. In fact, he inspired me to continue to keep active, to continue to age well and to make positive choices for my future.
What choices will you make for your own future?
~ Cheryl Urrutia, Allied ASID
Treasurer / The Design Alliance For Accessible Sustainable Environments