With Tumbler Ridge turning 40, the infrastructure and the population is getting older. Many long-time residents are choosing to remain in the community, and many new seniors moved into the community after the housing sale in the early 2000s.
As a result, the community has seen an increase in pressure to improve housing and offer programs and services to enable seniors to age-in-place.
According to the report, Tumbler Ridge faces a number of potential challenges for people who would like to age-in-place. “These potential challenges relate to the design of the home, and include stairs at the entrances to the home, stairs within the home, and the safety and accessibility of the bathroom,” says the report.
The report was commissioned in 2019, and was released last month, offering suggestions for council, health service providers and seniors’ organizations in the community the housing and health support services that will be required in Tumbler Ridge.
The report was prepared by the Community Development Institute (CDI) at the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC), who worked with the District, local seniors, seniors’ organizations, and care service providers, “to complete an assessment of the housing stock in Tumbler Ridge and its suitability to support aging-in-place,” according to the report, which is now available to the public on the CDI website.
Data was also collected “to determine the programs and services required in order to support seniors to age-in- place in Tumbler Ridge. As such, the final report is strategically designed to identify the housing and health support service needs for seniors in Tumbler Ridge.”
The report also includes information, options, and recommendations that can be used by the District of Tumbler Ridge, seniors’ organizations, and service providers in planning and decision-making for addressing these needs.
The project looked at current and expected housing needs of seniors in Tumbler Ridge, with particular attention to issues of accessibility, as well as current and expected need for support services by seniors.
The report was, of course, impacted by the current pandemic. “Due to ongoing concerns about face-to-face research during the COVID-19 pandemic, the research team was unable to visit each participating household and data collection protocols were revised to complete the assessments remotely,” says the report. “Participants were provided with two options for completing the assessment. The participants could connect with a member of the research team through a Zoom video conference meeting. Alternatively, participants could speak with a member of the research team during a scheduled phone meeting. In both cases, the participating household was provided with a copy of the assessment guide ahead of the scheduled meeting, and a member of the UNBC research team filled out a copy of the assessment during the meeting.”
All in all, 63 people participated, representing 101 people over the age of 55.
According to the report, the critical first step to ensuring that seniors can age-in-place in Tumbler Ridge is “to make certain that their housing meets their needs.
“Without suitable housing, we know that seniors will be forced to leave the community. The District of Tumbler Ridge Seniors’ Housing Assessment Study was specifically designed to determine how well the housing stock in Tumbler Ridge meets the needs of seniors in the community.”
The houses in Tumbler Ridge were built for large, young families. But as people get older, the house becomes more and more of a burden – to maintain, to finance, and to live in safely. “Understanding these challenges can help seniors and the community develop strategies, plans, and programs to help seniors continue to live in their homes in the community safely and affordably.”
The survey looked at many of the most common places where seniors have issues.
For example, as people get older, simply getting into the home can become an issue. Stairs into the home can be a barrier, especially in winter.
Of the people surveyed, 84 percent had stairs getting to the front door. While most people (98 percent) reported they could still use them safely, stairs to the secondary entrances did not fair so well; 91 percent of people have stairs to the side door, but only 86 percent report they can use these safely.
Inside, about the same percent (84) of houses have interior stairs. Most of these (72 percent) have the option of stair lifts, while slightly less than that (66 percent) have the potential to accommodate living on a single floor (kitchen, bedroom, living room bathroom on a single level).
Looking generally at the homes in the study, close to 80 percent have stairs at the main entrance, the secondary entrance, and inside the home. “While most occupants report that can use the stairs safely at this point in time, it can be anticipated that this will decline over time as they age,” says the report. “The ability to use stairs safely will be a key indicator to monitor on a regular basis. Remedial actions could include the installation of ramps for the exterior stairs and stair lifts for the interior stairs.”
One of the most dangerous places in the house for seniors is the bathroom, where stepping into a tub, stepping into water on the floor and other surfaces, tripping over floor mats, or reaching for items that have fallen have the potential to result in injury. “Anticipating potential risks and making adaptations to reduce risk can provide enhanced safety and security.”
Senior-friendly bathrooms are ones that includes a low-barrier tub or shower, a comfort-height toilet, and grab bars for the toilet, tub, and/or shower, and only 11 percent of homes of those who took the survey had an accessible tub or shower in the main bathroom. 13 percent had grab bars for bath and toilet.
Secondary bathroom facilities fared better, with 48 percent of respondents reporting having an accessible tub or shower. However, many of these were not on the main floor.
“Only six percent of respondents reported having an accessible tub or shower in their main bathroom,” according to the report. “Furthermore, only about one-third of seniors with mobility challenges have grab bars in all three key areas of their main bathrooms: the shower and/or tub, and the toilet.”
As people age, it becomes more difficult to maintain the home. 32 percent report needing help with home maintenance, while 29 percent have help with home maintenance. 25 percent need help with summer yard maintenance, while 24 percent have help. In the winter, slightly more people (29 percent) need help with yard maintenance, while 30 percent have help. This needs to be monitored over time, says the report. “Most people who need help are getting help, whether it be through family, friends, or a private contractor. These situations can change over time, so ensuring that people who need help continue to be able to access help that they can afford and rely on will be important to being able to stay in the home.”
And, as homes get older, the need for major repairs increase. 44 percent of participants reported their homes needed repair. About half of those people live at home and 39 percent have a household income of less than 25,000. This is an issue of immediate concern. “The data suggests that one of the key reasons homes are going unrepaired may be that occupants have limited financial capacity to take on these repairs,” says the report. “Close to 40 percent of senior households in need of home repairs are in the lowest income bracket of incomes below $25,000, and another close to 30 percent have annual household incomes between over $25,000 but below $50,000. Finding a way to assist with these repairs could help people in this situation remain in their home longer.”
And for both property maintenance and home repair, respondents indicated that they expected their needs in these areas to increase in five years.
“The most vulnerable group of seniors in Tumbler Ridge are those with mobility challenges,” says the study. “In addition to general challenges, more than one-half of this group is female, two in five of the respondents with mobility challenges live alone, two in five are also over 75 years of age, and finally two in five are living on an income of less than $25,000. Homeowners in this group have the highest need of support and assistance around the home, but are least likely to have the help they need. They are also far more likely to have a home that is in need of repair. Seniors with mobility challenges are very likely to face ‘the perfect storm’ of high levels of need, a low household income, and no one else in the home to help out.”
This means that these seniors are vulnerable, due to their low income. “This is especially true of women living alone, who are more likely to need help with home maintenance and repair, but are less likely to access this assistance.”
The results of this study are a “call to action” for the community. “The opportunity for the District of Tumbler Ridge and organizations in the community that have a mandate and interest in supporting seniors is to take up the challenge of addressing these needs.
“Helping with home maintenance, looking after yard maintenance, building ramps, installing stair lifts, and installing grab bars could make it possible for seniors to stay in Tumbler Ridge and age-in-place in their own home. Without this support, many seniors will likely see a significant decrease in their quality of life and may have to leave the community. When seniors leave the community, Tumbler Ridge loses the social and economic contributions these residents make.”
Of course, any programs designed to help seniors need to look at the house as a whole. No point making the entrance accessible if the interior stairs are a barrier. “This will not make a home more livable.”
“By the same token, an accessible bathroom renovation will not make the home more livable if the bathroom is on a different floor than the main living areas. Planning and executing a renovation plan that addresses all of the barriers in a home will be important.”
Tumbler Ridge has a strong reputation as a ‘community that cares’, says the report. “People know their neighbours and often know who needs help. That Tumbler Ridge is a small, tight-knit community means that it is easier to rally behind and provide support to seniors that will assist with their aging-in-place in the community.”
The report makes five recommendations to help seniors age in place.
First, it can be challenging for seniors to know what support programs and services are available to them. For many seniors, having to find information and apply online can present a barrier. “A seniors’ navigator function in the community could assist seniors in finding the programs and services they need, finding funding assistance for those who need it, and completing the application process. A seniors’ navigator function could provide assistance in response to a request from a senior, their family or caregiver, or reach out proactively to a senior in need or more generally to the community in regard to supporting ways to assist people to age-in-place.”
Second, it recommends a Tumbler Ridge Seniors Assistance Fund to help those seniors with limited financial capacity to make improvements to the home to help them make it more livable. “The fund would be most helpful if it covered the cost of materials and labour.”
Thirdly, the report recommends a community program to help seniors with household maintenance chores such as summer yard work, winter snow clearing, and odd jobs around the house. “Furthermore, it would help seniors remain safe, as it would reduce the likelihood that they become injured while taking on tasks that are too much for them. For those who need it, this support should be provided free-of-charge.”
Next, it recommends a seniors’ daily check in service. “As the population ages, it can be anticipated that there will be a growing number of single-person households in Tumbler Ridge. Experience in many communities has shown that a daily check-in phone call can enhance safety and help single seniors maintain their independence. A daily check in phone call service in Tumbler Ridge would provide support to those who are on their own and offer peace of mind to their families who may worry that they will not be found if they suffer a fall or other medical emergency.”
Finally, it proposes a resource bank for standard home accessibility modification plans. Many of the home designs in Tumbler Ridge are identical or very similar, says the report. “This opens up the possibility of developing standardized accessibility modification plans. For example, the plans for an exterior ramp developed for one of the standard home designs in Tumbler Ridge could be used for all of the other homes built using that design. The same principle would apply to interior modifications such as the locations of wall supports for the installation of grab bars in bathrooms. This would save costs related to design, obtaining municipal designing, estimating, obtaining approvals for, and installing standardized modifications.”
Trent is the publisher of Tumbler RidgeLines.
