The rope was the primary locking device used. The thief knot got it’s name because it was implemented to discover thieves and the Gordian knot was used to discourage them. Even to this day the first thing we do to secure a door is almost always to tie a rope to it. History is questionable as to when the lock started. Archeological findings report that wooden locks and keys were used some 4,000 years ago by the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. The earliest known door lock with a key is termed as a pin lock or pin tumbler lock. This design is the frequently used lock to this day. The old pin tumbler lock was made of wood and rope and to this day this type of wooden lock mechanism is still in use in Puerto Rico.
To enhance the security level of the old design of the pin lock the orientation of the pins had to be changed and the number of pins is increased. The development that was made to the ancient design had become the established concepts of pin locks in the present. Another development came for the pin lock; the wooden pins with bronze or iron. It was this metal design that got patented in 1805. The patented design was further refined by the father and son locksmith with the name of Linus Yale Sr. and Linus Yale Jr. The pin lock that we see today is the design that the Yale’s produced. Wafer tumbler locks are yet another kind of door lock. This sort of lock is usually used in vehicles and cabinets. Yet another commonly used type of lock is the lever lock. These locks are popularly utilized in safes and prisons.
Additionally, there are mechanical and electromechanical locks. Presently there are countless of variations of the different types of locks. A number of variations we have the panic bars, lock sets, lock boxes, deadbolts, mortise locks, bump-proof locks to name a few These variations are what are presently used in structures and houses. With today’s technology used in lock for the doors we have state of the art security features. Examples of which are the alarmed panic bars which are installed in the emergency exit doors. This is also already being used in our car door alarms.
With the enhancements in our technology and the tireless work of our inventors we can be confident that the advancement of the current door lock will continue and our security and safety will be much better allowing us to rest well at night time. We should all remember that.
articlecity.com
Safety & Fall Prevention
Although the lawn is often overlooked during the fall, it’s actually the perfect time to make sure everything is organized before the harsher winter elements take hold. Paul James, host of HGTV’s “Gardening by the Yard,” advises homeowners to start early – approximately six weeks before the first good freeze.
Here is a list of some of the tasks and items you should add to your fall checklist this year:
Maintain the landscape. Tidy up the lawn, flowerbeds, bushes, gardens, etc. Remove unsightly foliage, dead stems, piles of leaves and other debris. Fluff your mulch with a rake so water can seep into the subsoil.
Plant fall vegetables. Cool-season vegetable gardens can flourish with the right plants – lettuce, greens, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, turnips, potatoes and loads more. Imagine all the hearty stews and delicious soups you could make from scratch.
Keep muscles relaxed, and stay hydrated. Don’t underestimate the fall sun. Summer may be over, but hours of gardening in the sun can still leave you exhausted, strained and parched. Remember to drink plenty of fluids, take breaks and stretch your muscles. If you suffer from backaches and muscle strains, keep some relief like Absorbine Jr. (www.absorbinejr.com) on hand. The natural menthol in Absorbine Jr. helps relieve muscle and back pain to make it a must-have for yard work. Its herbal ingredients also help provide relief from sunburn and gnat and other insect bites.
Make room for indoor plants. Your potted or container plants won’t survive the winter outside, so it’s time to make room indoors for tropical plants, herbs and succulents. Potted perennials can be transplanted into a garden after trimming the roots and some top growth.
Clean garage, shed or outbuildings. Once you organize your storage space, you can neatly put away all of your summer tools or patio furniture. Plus, your newly emptied planters will have a home next to all the other stuff families accumulate.
Stair chair lifts are valuable additions to any residential or commercial building. In fact, they can be a cost-effective alternative to an elevator, which would require the installation of shafts, cable systems, cabins, and so on. The operation of a stair lift is simple – it takes the user up and down a stairway at just the press of a button. The actual cost of a stair lift depends on various factors which are discussed below.
Stairway configuration:
The type of stairway (curved, spiral or straight) is one of the main factors that influence cost. Installing curved stair lifts would involve a greater expense than setting up straight stairlifts.
Battery-Operated:
Battery-operated models or DC models are more expensive than electrically-operated or AC stair lifts. DC models have the advantage that they can be operated even during power outages as they are battery-supported.
Additional features:
If you customize a stair lift, it would raise the price. For instance, you can have a lift that includes a wheelchair platform. You can also have it fitted with arms. These adjustments would result in a higher cost. In any case, features such as swivel seat, non-skid adjustable foot rest, safety braking system, obstruction sensors and seat belts are standard in almost all models.
Brands:
Going in for a good brand is would mean paying a higher price, but ensure good value for money. The technology and features incorporated raise the cost of stair chair lifts. Some of the quality lifts for stairs available from leading manufacturers include Electra-Ride Elite Outdoor, Electra-Ride III, Electra-Ride Elite, Step Saver, B.07, Flow II, Stair-Glide, and so on.
Installation:
The cost is also influenced by installation expenses. To get a clear idea about the expenses of the stair lift system, your buildings should be well-assessed by installation experts. If your stairlifts can be installed without much structural modification, it would cost considerably less.
Pre-owned:
Reconditioned or pre-owned stair lifts would cost less that new. Going in for a reconditioned model is a good option when you are concerned about your budget. Many dealers buy used lifts and revamp them to work like new before they are offered for sale. Make sure you look at the warranty options when you buy this lift.
Buy from a Reliable Dealer:
When you buy a stair lift, it is important to consider the service charges, maintenance and repair costs, and the warranty that comes with it. You should take care to buy the device from a reliable dealer. Established suppliers have a wide inventory of leading models of stair chair lifts and would offer professional advice on the right one for your building and the costs involved.
articlecity.com
There is plenty that can be done, easily and cheaply, to make a house feel more modern though. A change of paint is always a great way to start. Finding out the colours that are currently in vogue is a great way to instantly transform a room. On top that, interesting and modern artwork and contemporary knick knacks will also instantly bring a room up to date.
Home lighting is also a surprisingly date-specific kind of thing. Older light fittings will instantly date any room, and changing glaring halogens to more subtle accent lighting can instantly change the feel of a room without anything else being needed. Altering home lighting is also easy to research and cheap to achieve, making one of the perfect places to start if a house is starting to feel jaded. The more you can spend on lighting, the better.
Wooden floors are also a great way to say modern. On top of this, utilising a wooden floor gives you great scope to include underfloor heating, an investment that will almost certainly pay for itself in terms of how much money can be saved on energy bills. Underfloor heating also helps you remove what are usually unsightly radiators and give rooms more space. It’s another way to make any room feel more modern.
If you can, make as much space as possible, knocking down walls to create more space if it is appropriate. Space and lighting combined will make even the dullest room feel fresh and new.
Another way to spruce up your home is to clear the clutter. Senior.com sells a wide variety of hanging storage racks that will help you reclaim your garage. Even better, Senior.com provides very affordable installation to make it EASY. It is amazing the emotional health that comes from organizing the space you have. Perhaps your garage could be a new room for other activities if it was cleared of clutter.
It’s easy for seniors to fall in the bedroom, especially when getting in or out of bed. Or, when getting dressed.
These, and other hazards, make the bedroom another room that would benefit from safety updates.
Safer bedrooms help seniors maintain independence
It’s important to make sure the rooms where seniors spend a lot of time are as safe as possible. Preventing falls is one of the best ways to help older adults stay independent.
10 easy bedroom safety updates
- Make it easier to turn lights on and off by making any bedside lamp touch activated. Use removable mounting strips to attach the touch sensor in a convenient place.
- Use an automatic LED night light so it’s easy to find and turn on the bedside lamp when getting up at night.
- Place a sturdy chair in the bedroom so your older adult can sit while dressing to prevent falls.
- Remove any throw rugs, electrical wires, or clutter from the floor to prevent tripping and falling.
- Clean and organize closets and drawers so frequently used items are within easy reach — avoid storing anything too high or too low.
- Make sure the bed is at the correct height so it’s easy to get in and out. Place the box spring on the floor if it’s too high or use inexpensive bed lifts if it’s too low.
- Consider adding a simple bed rail or a no-installation floor to ceiling grab bar next to the bed to help with getting up.
- Install an easy-to-use phone by the bed and post important phone numbers in large print.
- Make sure a smoke detector is installed on or near the ceiling. Get one with 10 year battery and low false alarm rate for low maintenance.
- Use a passive monitoring system like Evermind to discreetly monitor the bedside lamp. It lets you know that your senior’s usual routine is going smoothly and gives an added layer of safety.
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Growing older comes with a unique set of challenges: increasing health problems, a dwindling bank account, learning to live on a fixed income, loss of independence, decreased social interaction and, for some, an unfamiliar state of vulnerability. One of the most pressing issues facing seniors, however, is that most basic of needs — a safe and affordable place to live. Can U.S. meet housing demand of aging population?
According to a report by the Joint Center for Housing Studies (JCHS) of Harvard University, by 2030, the number of U.S. baby boomers aged 65-74 will reach 38.6 million, and the number of 75-84-year-olds will reach 30.1 million by 2040.
Current options
Some seniors have the financial resources to pick and choose where and how they will live, but for many, affordability is the issue, according to Alayna Waldrum, senior housing consultant, advocate and former housing legislative representative for LeadingAge, a national senior advocacy group comprised of thousands of nonprofits.
“If you have substantial income, or you have resources, then housing really isn’t going to be an issue,” she said. “You can arrange the housing that you need.”
Waldrum said the most affordable housing option for very-low-income seniors over the age of 62 has been the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Section 202 program, which provides funding to housing nonprofits in two ways. One method is project rental assistance contracts, through which money is directed to a qualifying senior development to cover the difference between residents’ rent payments and the cost of operations.
The other avenue of assistance is through capital advances. In this scenario, HUD pays for the cost of developing, purchasing or rehabilitating a development, and no repayment of that investment is required as long as the housing remains available to very-low-income seniors for at least 40 years.
However, the bad news for the very-low-income segment of the rapidly increasing senior population, projected to be 6.5 million households by 2024, is that HUD provided its last round of capital advance funding in 2012, with no current plans to re-start that program or anything similar.
“They’re not being built anymore,” Waldrum said. “There is no program now that pays for the construction of this type of housing, and that is going to be a major challenge nationally.”
In addition, the 40-year obligation attached to the capital advance program is ending for many developments, Waldrum said, and some owners are choosing to either sell the properties or convert them to market-rate housing, further squeezing an already tight national supply of approximately 300,000 units.
The next most-affordable housing option for seniors, Waldrum said, is through the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program. Simply put, investors receive a sizeable federal tax credit for financing certain types of low-income housing. In addition, resident income limits for LIHTC housing are not as stringent as they are for very-low-income units.
“LIHTC has always played a prominent role in the creation and preservation of affordable senior housing,” said Charles Anderson, executive vice president of acquisitions at City Real Estate Advisors, Inc. City Real Estate is a syndicator of affordable housing tax credits and facilitates and manages affordable housing projects throughout the U.S. “In many of those cases,” Anderson said, “HUD has played the important role of providing rental subsidy, permanent loan proceeds or both.”
Anderson said that while many affordable housing professionals believe seniors and others in need are underserved, most would agree the LIHTC program has been a success, and, in fact, he said, the LIHTC program is where much of the senior housing development activity has been and will continue to be.
“As it relates to current activity forecasts, we are expecting our production level to increase roughly 30% year over year for fiscal year 2016.,” he said. “We are on track in accomplishing this goal, and we are generally optimistic about the market supply and demand metrics we are seeing.”
New ideas for older residents
However, given the number of people expected to hit senior status in the next 25 years, standard housing options might not be enough. Along those lines, homesharing is an option gaining popularity among seniors.
Types of homesharing range from roommate matching services to multigenerational housing where younger people move into a senior’s home to give support and day-to-day companionship in exchange for free or low rent.
For example, a nursing home in the Netherlands provides free housing for college students in exchange for 30 hours a week of being “good neighbors” to the senior residents, providing much needed social interaction to combat the sense of loneliness and isolation so prevalent in these types of facilities.
Jeff Salter, founder of Caring Senior Service, said the natural solution is to find ways to allow as many seniors as possible to “age in place” in their existing homes because “there’s no possible way to build enough facilities to house all the seniors that are going to need help” in the coming years.
Salter said his experience has been, and as some studies have suggested, that when people have to leave their homes for a long-term care facility, their life span can shorten. “Dorm living is great when you’re young and want new experiences, and your life is all ahead of you,” he said. However, according to Salter, for seniors who are used to living independently, “being thrust into a scenario where you’re now in a dorm setting again at the end of your life is actually quite depressing.”
Salter said the biggest obstacle to seniors being able to stay in their homes is the risk of a fall, and most senior homes are not equipped to prevent them. “Simple things like installing grab bars in the bathroom and teaching people how to actually use those grab bars and convincing them that they need to use them — that’s just an education process.”
According to the JCHS, 5.5 million older households include someone with mobility difficulty but are without accessibility modifications, such as no-step entryways and ramps. They conclude that there is at least a $13 billion opportunity for the remodeling industry just by installing these features alone.
Looking ahead
Waldrum said the nonprofit Bipartisan Policy Center is a respected aging-in-place advocate. The Washington, DC, think tank is exploring myriad ways, from smart home technology to urban planning, to help seniors stay in their homes.
Salter said being able to age in place is all about planning before a fall or a crisis happens — “things they can do early on, so as they progress, they have a long-term plan of what the next steps are,” Salter said.
Waldrum believes housing solutions for the country’s present and future senior populations are dependent on how much Washington, and the rest of the country, is willing to face the realities of aging. “We have a larger percentage of people than ever before who aren’t interested in the policy of housing, and that makes it challenging for us to get our message across,” he said.
By Kim Slowey | Printprint