The population of Canada is aging. According to the National Research Council, Canadians 65 and older are the fastest-growing demographic and are expected to make up 25 percent of our population by 2050.

A vast majority of these older Canadians would prefer to “age in place,” meaning, live in their own homes for as long as they can.

“As Canadians enter their golden years, their housing priorities often change, but no one size fits all,” said Caroline Baile, a real estate broker with Royal LePage Sussex, and accredited seniors agent. “[They] are thinking about their long-term needs much earlier than previous generations. Even before retirement, many buyers are thinking about the features of a home that will help them transition into old age with ease.”

In fact, Baile says that many middle-aged clients have seen their elderly parents go through a transition, and this has encouraged them to consider their own future needs.

Overall welfare and financial security play in important role in this decision-making. According to the Royal LePage survey, “Canadians Aging in Place,” 74 percent of respondents are increasingly interested in aging in place due to the cost of living in a senior care facility, and 59 percent are concerned for their health and well-being at such a facility.

Meanwhile, the Canadian Home Builders’ Association says nearly 90 percent of Canadians wish to stay in their homes for as long as possible. Of course, as we age, our mobility and physical abilities change, making it challenging to navigate our homes. But there are adaptations homeowners can make to ease this transition, making their homes safer and more accessible.

Common renovation solutions include:
• Snow-melt systems for driveways and walkways;
• Vertical platform lifts at front porchs or steps;
• Good lighting, especially hallways and stairways;
• Motion-sensor lights;
• Easy-to-reach electrical outlets;
• Elevator or stair lifts inside, for homes with multiple levels;
• Smart home systems for controlling various features (lighting, temperature, security) using voice commands or an app.

“More and more, Canadians are choosing to right-size rather than down-size as they age,” added Baile, noting that some will opt “to renovate their existing properties to accommodate their changing needs”.

Getting in on the action
All this represents a huge opportunity for renovation professionals to provide forward-thinking homeowners with the supports they need now (or will need down the road), but only if they understand how support systems related to mobility, cognitive challenges and medical conditions can make aging in place a reality.
Contractors should to be able to talk knowledgeably with both mature and older customers (and caregivers) about these considerations, then recommend the appropriate systems and solutions to enable aging in place.
And, because installations are guided by standards, what standards could apply to aging in place?
CSA Group says it is collaborating with industry partners, interested parties and persons with lived experiences to create “world-class standards and guidelines” to help meet the needs of Canadians who choose to age in place… whether in their homes or within their communities.

The standards CSA B651 Accessible Design for the Built Environment, CSA/ASC B652 Accessible Dwellings and CSA B651.2 Accessible Design for Self-Service Interactive Devices Including Automated Banking Machines have been developed to help improve the lives of those livings with disabilities, including the elderly.

Aging in place with dignity… and lots of tech
“We’re bringing together emerging technology, aging adults, industry partners and clinical expertise,” says Bruce Wallace, executive director of the Sensors and Analytics for Monitoring Mobility and Memory (SAM3) Age-Well National Innovation Hub. “It’s time to get this technology out of the laboratory and into the community.”

Cameras and sensors can be placed unobtrusively around the home and feed their data back to caregivers.

This team of Carleton researchers, in partnership with the Bruyere Research Institute and Age-Well Network of Centres of Excellence, is developing “supportive smart home systems to help older adults age in place safely and with dignity,” writes Carleton’s Dan Rubinstein

So what does a supportive smart home system looks like?

Wallace stresses that “ambient sensing” (sensors placed strategically throughout the dwelling) is key to aging in place. “If you look at sensors that are worn [on the body], people forget to wear them, so it can be hard to know if they are functioning properly,” he explains. “With ambient sensing, you just live your life as always.”

Looking at power, Wallace says you could have wireless, battery-based sensors (similar to today’s home security systems) but that would involve a rather large battery count and would just be another challenging thing for seniors and caregivers to manage.

“Instead, we’re seeing companies using the wiring harness of the house but with USB power using USB outlets in house wall plugs,” he explains. “Also, there are now sensor units that are placed directly within the outlet. That is, a licensed electrician swaps out an existing light switch or outlet for one of these units. It’s still a switch or outlet but can have motion and temperature and odor sensors powered directly off 120-volt. Control of the switch is achieved by the switch itself with preset settings and/or a motion sensor and/or voice activation.”

Back-up power is also very important for various critical systems, such as charging cellular devices, notes Jim Closs, national director at a Toronto-based firm called Age Safe Canada and owner of a consulting firm called Live Easy. He has 30 years of experience in accessible design and will be using emerging technologies in some upcoming aging in place projects.

Closs notes that if you’re looking to add an accessibility product like a stairlift or home elevator – even if they are battery-operated – it’s also important to have these devices on their own circuit based on the manufacturer’s specification so they are charged at all times.

Ark Tsisserev, principal at Vancouver-based AES Engineering, adds the important note that if the electrical equipment in a home is upgraded or added upon, then the size of the service – including the rating of the service box and ampacity of the consumer’s service conductors – might have to increase.

Solutions overview
For years, contractors have been involved in running power for stair lifts, automated doors and additional lighting. (Lighting is especially important on stairs to prevent injury, says Wallace, but also in every room.) In addition, open/closed sensors on exterior doors are already being installed in the homes of those with dementia.

In general, ambient sensors, like these bed-movement sensors, are better than worn sensors. But they are best with a battery-free power supply.

In terms of what’s new to support aging in place, Wallace points to bed sensing, not just for ongoing data on the health and well-being of seniors, but to support their caregivers. Typically USB-powered, these sensors are placed between the mattress and box spring, or under a bed foot. They detect bed exits and movement that could indicate restless sleep (due to pain) or whether the person is moving enough to prevent bedsores. Some even detect vital signs.

For caregivers, these sensors, when paired with other supportive home automation, can make all the difference for an individual to successfully age in place.

It’s very important for caregivers to get adequate sleep, says Wallace. He’s conducted trials where the detection of a bed exit is paired with the automatic switch-on of lights in the bedroom, hallway and washroom, thereby enabling a person with mobility issues or dementia to handle washroom trips alone (noting that dementia, as it progresses, includes disorientation from time and place).

“Our experiments show that this set-up can help the caregiver get eight hours of continuous sleep,” he reports, adding that back-up power for this system should be installed once it’s established to maintain the routine.

Let’s face it, you could probably keep a crew busy 24/7 just building these.

Night wandering can also be part of dementia, and Wallace explains that one root cause is the fact that those losing cognitive function generally spend a great deal of time indoors and are therefore much less exposed to changes in the daily natural light wavelength spectrum. This can be mitigated by using light bulbs that create a “solar day” inside the house by changing the light wavelengths emitted (via an app).

Other noteworthy sensors include in-socket sensors that detect current at the outlet. “If we can measure current use everywhere, we can see if something has been left on,” explains Wallace. “A stove element is the most common occurrence. We can also have heat sensors at the stove.”

For overall activity sensing, technologies are being created that can perform monitoring while also safeguarding the occupant’s privacy. For example, Altumview of British Columbia builds a system that, yes, has cameras, but its software renders occupants as stick-figures so they are not actually filmed.

Wallace adds that light detection and ranging technology is also being flexed for supportive smart homes. LIDAR is a remote sensing method that works by emitting a laser beam and measuring the time it takes for the light to return after reflecting off a surface. It is used on autonomous cars for object detection and monitoring.

“It now comes in a very inexpensive chip form,” Wallace notes. “It’s a whole new mechanism for monitoring activity in the home, like a 3D motion sensor, but also for health. Walking speed, for example, is a vital indicator of health and well-being.”

Whatever sensors are installed in the supportive home, they should be able to send notifications. “How are the messages sent and who do they go to?” Wallace urges us to ask. “Notification goes to people in the house first through an alarm and/or a text, but you could also choose to add a text alert to a person living nearby.” This would be especially important for things like door exits for those with dementia.

Getting up to speed
CHBA’s Adaptiv Home Renovation Course is for professionals who want to learn more about the aging in place market and the related growing business opportunities. The emphasis of this course is on improving design by addressing safety, security, ease of use, comfort, accessibility and occupant health. This course is the first step, says CHBA, toward becoming part of a network of professionals who offer services to homeowners who want to live in their home safely and comfortably for as long as possible, regardless of age, ability, size, or circumstance.

A How-To online course on home safety assessments for seniors is offered by an Ontario company called Age Safe Canada (adapted from Age Safe America).

Another way to find out more is to google “universal design”, which the Centre for Excellence in Universal Design defines as “the design and composition of an environment so that it can be accessed, understood and used to the greatest extent possible by all people regardless of their age, size, ability or disability.” The tenets of universal design apply do not just apply to libraries, courthouses, public transit, etc., but to someone’s home, too.

Wallace suggests that contractors could also connect with occupational therapists who treat seniors, adding that therapists “cannot refer specific companies to their clients, but they can refer them to industry associations.”

An estimated 10.4 million Canadians will be 65 or older by 2037, according to Rubinstein. Roughly 90 percent will want to live in their own homes for as long as possible, despite becoming less independent. This demographic shift signals significant opportunities for contractors who are ready for the coming surge of home renovations and retrofits that accompany aging in place.