Designs help owners age in place

Curtis Lentz, center, owner of Lentz Kitchen & Bath, Indiana, and designers Connie Merriman and Scott Stancombe design and equip kitchens and bathrooms for owners who want to stay in their homes in their senior years. (Jamie Empfield/Gazette photo)

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Aging in place and universal design are phrases Curtis Lentz uses to describe an expanding segment of his business a growing demand for design services, products and remodeling touches developed for people who want to grow older in their homes rather than make the transition to an assisted living facility or nursing home.

Aging in place is a hot niche in the home remodeling industry, and Lentz, owner of Lentz Kitchen & Bath, in Indiana, has watched the demand for special aging-related products and services grow steadily, especially in the past decade.

His business has developed a specialization in serving those needs, and a new showroom being built at the companys headquarters at 556 Water St. will focus on universal design and aging in place merchandise for the bath and kitchen.

The demand is due in part to an aging population.

["Designs help owners age in place" is one of the featured stories today in the Gazette's special "Spring Home Show" supplement. This section is a complete guide to the Indiana-Armstrong Builders Association home show this weekend at S&T Bank Arena, with feature stories about the trends in home improvement. Read more stories like this today in "Spring Home Show," available only in The Indiana Gazette and on the Indiana Gazette ePaper website.]

Connie Merriman, one of the companys interior designers, estimates 90 percent of Lentz Kitchen & Bath remodeling projects now include aging in place or universal design touches.

Were incorporating a lot of those elements into most projects we do, she said. People are starting to approach us and ask about these products.

Merriman completed training offered by the National Association of Home Builders and is a certified aging in place specialist. She conducts seminars to make seniors and their families aware of even simple things they can do to make home environments safer and more accommodating for residents with mobility limitations.

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Designs help owners age in place