Avon Plumbing and Heating Helps Elderly Age in Place

For the elderly, people who are recovering from an injury, or for those that require a wheelchair, there is something to be said for the option to stay in the comfort of their own home.

After an increase in calls from area customers who needed help making their home bathrooms more accessible, the Brighenti family decided to offer "aging in place" designs at .

"Many people in the area would come to us and say, 'my husband just broke his hip, he's out of McLean, and he's got to come home. We don't have any grab bars, we don't have any hand-held showers,'" explained Jeff Brighenti, whose family owns Avon Plumbing & Heating and several other properties in town.

"Someone else, that is, maybe, a Baby Boomer, says 'You know what, I'm remodeling my bathroom. I know in 15 years, I'm going to need a shower that I can walk into easier or a grab bar. Set it up for me now, so I have all that later on,'" he added. "Or the person who says, 'I've got MS (multiple sclerosis) — it's coming down the road. I'm going to need these types of products.'"

Geared toward the elderly, "aging in place" designs help make homes friendly to someone with physical limitations. Brighenti said the initiative has “taken off” within the last year and is becoming integrated into the homebuilding industry.

"A lot of it has to do with the economy, not being able to sell your home to be able to go into [a nursing home], so you try to retrofit your home," Brighenti said. "Plus, the mindset of staying at home."

Avon Plumbing and Heating, an 80-year-old family business that has been in Riverdale Farms for 28 years, recently remodeled its kitchen and bath showroom to better accomodate wheelchairs and to display some "aging in place" model bathrooms. Design examples include grab bars for showers and bathrooms, tubs with gates allowing people to walk inside, showers with floor-level entry for wheelchairs to roll into, toilets that can be set higher or lower, sinks high enough for a wheelchair to roll underneath and mirrors that can be tilted higher or lower as needed.

Brighenti and staff took courses to become certified by the National Homebuilder's Association as aging in place specialists (CAPS). Avon Plumbing & Heating also does installations. The company has set up at least three walk-in tubs and several roll-in showers, grab bars and hand-held showers since they started offering the service toward the end of last year.

"The value it adds to the home, I'm not sure it adds a monetary value, but it adds a value to the person. It's a peace of mind value for them to be able to stay in their home."