Finally, Kitchens

Kitchens

Kitchens are the hardest rooms about which to make a generalization of for an Aging in Place population and perhaps any other segment of home owners. Cooks and their expectations vary widely.  

You’ve cooks who can barely boil water and only need a coffee pot, toaster, can opener, electric skillet/burner and microwave. A simple base cabinet set up as simple as a dorm room kitchen will work for them. Add a sink, fridge and two burners and they are set.

Most home owners want at least sink, 4-6 burner stove, oven, microwave, dishwasher, refrigerator and maybe a freezer. Add base cabinets and wall cabinets, possibly a counter bar seating arrangement and they are all set.

However, planning ahead for the future can be challenging. I live in a mill house built in the 1920’s. For the most part the kitchen has worked well for my family. When the kitchen was modernized well before I acquired the house, it was designed for someone active, at least 6 inches taller than I and for someone far more agile than I have ever been. There are at least 2 blind corners in the setup and absolutely no place for an installed dishwasher. I’ve always had to climb a 2-step step stool to reach the overhead cabinets and had to use a step stool to knead bread or candy at the bar height counters.  I’m practically head over heels reaching/crawling into the blind corners to remove rarely used stored items. I like the wood finish, the D handles, the easy clean counter tops. There is sufficient room to turn a wheel chair around in the cooking area and in a pinch 2 people could work in the area together if they dance in harmony as if they were ballet dancers. Mostly it is an active one person kitchen that is taller than my 5’ 2” height.

Grandma’s Kitchen. My grandmother who was vertically challenged (really short) had a Hoosier baking cabinet, a small dish cabinet, a kitchen table, a cook stove which also supplied the home’s heat, and a separate walk in pantry. She had the legs cut off of everything, the cabinets, the table and the chairs. She washed dishes in pans on the kitchen table with water heated upon the stove; then after using them, stored the pans in the pantry. The rafters were open and extra seating was hung upside down in the rafters to leave walking space clear. Not one modern convenience such as a washer, dryer, running water. Toward the end of her life (98 years), her church installed electric lighting so that she wouldn’t have to continue using kerosene lamps.

Mom and dad’s last home was in a trailer. Mom and dad both had increasingly restrictive physical disabilities. They had custom movable 12 inch deep pantries with doors standing along a wall in the kitchen for their food storage. The installed trailer upper cabinets were used for various “paper” product storage and dishes for when company came to visit. Large pots and pans were stored in the installed trailer lower cabinets. Four or five shallow drawers held the utensils, prep utensils, lids and etc. The microwave sat in a corner on the counter top. A dish rack sat atop the counter in the blind corner behind the double sink. The only thing mom stored in the blind corner was cleaning supplies and that was mostly at the front 12 inches behind the door. Mom used her kitchen table for food prep. Dad had a large lazy-Susan on which he kept his meds and food snacks. Easy to reach and he knew where everything was located. Mom used her dishwasher to wash and store her most frequently used dishes.

Then there are very high end kitchens, none of which I’ve actually entered but I have seen pictures.  Special ADA kitchens for those in wheel chairs have counters where a person in a wheel chair can roll their chair under the sink, the stove top, a prep area or two. There is ample space on either side of those areas to maneuver. There is space either side of a side-by-side fridge/freezer, there is space to maneuver next to a microwave and the oven. There might be under-counter dishwasher drawers and under- counter refrigerators or freezers that open at the front.

Having prefaced the following list with a few notes, you should pick and choose features for your kitchen that best suits you.

□ Easy clean and easy upkeep kitchen counters

□ Contrasting colors on the edges of kitchen counters 

     for better visual separation

□ Most used items at counter or waist height

□ Task lighting where needed 

□ Natural lighting from windows

□ Sip-resistant flooring

□ Adequate open floor space between counters

□ Lockable storage cabinet for kitchen cleaners

□ Single-lever faucet at sink

□ Sprayer at sink

□ Farmer’s sink

□ Double sink

□ Prep sink

□ Bar sink

□ Pot filler faucet at stove

□ Stove burners with controls at the front

□ Griddle

□ Grill

□ Side door opening microwave located in base cabinet

□ Wall mounted oven with side door opening

□ Pull out shelves or drawers

□ Mix and match open shelving and glass door cabinets

□ Adjustable or varied counter heights

□ Movable kitchen island □ with drawer storage

□ “D” or bar handles on cabinets and soft-close drawers

□ Elevated dishwasher or dishwasher drawer

□ Space available beneath sink and stove top

□ Space available beneath prep areas

□ Space beside oven and refrigerator

□ Side by side refrigerator/freezer

□ Pull out work surface at various heights

□ Pantry with adjustable spaces/shelves/bins

□ Under counter refrigerator

□ Refrigerated drawers

□ Specialized task areas

□ Rolling or movable base cabinet

□ Butler’s Pantry

□ Bakers Rack

□ Pot Stand

□ Pie Safe

□ Dish Display Cabinet

□ Adjustable height kitchen table

□ Adjustable height work station

□ Adjustable height seating

□ Specialized work stations

□ Wall outlets with on/off switches

□ Garbage Disposal

□ Recycle Bins

□ Pet food serving station

□ Wall mounted electric can opener

□ Wall mounted manual can opener

□ Specialized drawers or roll-out shelves in cabinets

□ Rolling cart

□ Wall mounted or hanging pot rack

□ Lockable knife storage

□ Wall mounted fire extinguisher

□ Bar/□ Counter/□ Chairs

□ Table/□ Chairs

This is just a starting point. The ending is up to you. Your physical needs can and will change, sometimes day to day. Make certain that your home is ready for those needs when you plan an update or make over.

And no, my home doesn’t have all of the things listed. I don't want or need everything listed. However; you might find some things on the list you've never thought about doing to your home. I’m still evolving. God’s not done with me yet!