Unassisted Living [Hardcover]

Jeffrey P. Rosenfeld (Author), Wid Chapman (Author)

Book Description

Release date: November 15, 2011

Unassisted Living documents the shift away from the senior housing that promoted disengagement toward architecture and design that promote active aging. The book is organized in six sections, corresponding to the concerns and special interests of Boomers—those who intend to remain in an urban setting, those concerned with sustainability, those with complex families and non-traditional households, and those who seek a community based on spirituality or shared interests.

Boomers are perhaps the largest generational cohort the United States has ever seen. Numbering some 78 million people born between 1946 and 1964, Boomers are not accepting traditional retirement or “senior housing” and are instead determined to remain active and engaged professionally and socially.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Wid Chapman, an architect, and Jeffrey P. Rosenfeld, a gerontologist who specializes in the relationship between aging and the built environment, collected 33 examples of residences that have been recently designed to bridge the distance between one’s vital and declining years . . . some with features you might not expect in such homes, like stairs. Their book . . . includes projects like a remote mountain house and a multigenerational community." —The New York Times

"As 77 million boomers begin to retire over the next two decades, they’re launching new careers, taking care of boomerang children, and planning for their next stage in life: senior housing. As gerontologist Jeffery P. Rosenfeld and architect Wid Chapman found in their new book Unassisted Living: Ageless Homes for Later Life, that means anything but nursing homes. Instead, they’re finding ways to extend their independent-living years by remaining active, retrofitting homes with universal design elements like grab bars, waist-high kitchen shelving, and spacious, wheel-chair friendly rooms." —The Fiscal Times

About the Author

Wid Chapman is the principal of Wid Chapman Architects, a firm specializing in hospitality, retail, and residential design. He is a senior faculty member at Parsons School of Design at the New School.

Jeff Rosenfeld is an environmental gerontologist and professor of gerontology at Hofstra University. With Wid Chapman, he is the author of Home Design in an Aging World and a frequent contributor to LiveWire and InformeDesign. 

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: The Monacelli Press (November 15, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580933025
• ISBN-13: 978-1580933025
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 1 x 10 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #874,298 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't be suckered December 15, 2011

By L. S. Spear

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Like some of the others reviewing this book, my wife and I were drawn in by the description and title, which seemed to promise an exploration of plans for ... well ... Unassisted Living -- the motto of neo-retirees and those approaching retirement who want to retire in place. Regrettably, this is more of a self-congratulatory picture book of residential palaces for multimillionaires. Nice pictures, but in terms of substance for the rest of us 99%-ers, sadly, this book is a waste of money.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful book meant for very rich homeowners December 7, 2011

By Lawrence L. Powell

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

It is undisputable that this is a beautiful book with beautiful houses, but unless you are a millionaire you will never have any of these homes. I was looking for a book that could help a middle class couple preparing for retirement take a modest home and create a great space. I don't have the money to do what it takes to make the houses represented in the book. So only buy it if you can afford a millionaire's house or you love to look at beautiful, unusual spaces that you cannot afford.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Terrible book December 10, 2011

By Ginny

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Unfortunately this book, whose title held such bright promise is truly terrible. Expensive, lots of glossy life style photos and incredibly tiny captions and plans. Great expanses of white page with sketches and caption text so tiny that even those with the best eyesight have to use a magnifying glass.

Virtually all houses are very modern and very high end. Rather than showing details that would help an older person of moderate means devise a house that is truly unassisted, these houses have many stairs and multi levels, vast expanses of glass, very high ceilings and other features that simply don't work for someone wanting a very energy efficient, low maintenance, simple residence for an older person (in good health or needing assistance) anywhere but out west -- only one or two houses/barns are in the northern or eastern states. THis book is hugely disappointing and would get NO stars but the system doesn't allow that.

Further most of the houses are cement block ugly -- with angles and windows it is true, but UGLY.

Island Girl

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Investment! March 9, 2012

By Jonathan

Format:Hardcover

My wife and I may well be the target market for this book. Avg age 63, we will be remodeling our home in then next few years to better accommodate the grandkids, offer guests more privacy, improve home offices, have a garage, take better advantage of the view and be much more efficient. Of course, our age will be a factor in design and in fact, we will be adding a floor (people in multi-story homes live longer...play all the angles). "Unassisted Living" is great for stimulating the imagination...opening up the box to what is possible.

The criticisms that the homes are not affordable by the 99% are valid, yet off the mark for us. If one seeks creative solutions to lifestyle challenges, some that push the envelope, it only makes sense to see what has been done by those who can afford to try anything. When learning to paint, do you study the Masters or Hallmark cards? This book will stimulate you, whether remodeling or relocating, and given all that you will spend, it's a great investment. Plus, it's really nice on the coffee table.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars ideas:good! Houses: dream on! December 31, 2011

By POH

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Often with books showing architectural design, the pictures are what tell the story. In UNASSISTED LIVING the pictures are often intriguing, fun to look at, show manifestation of basic ideas - but the houses themselves seem FAR out of reach for most of us with moderate incomes, especially considering what we will have at retirement! I am interested in ideas, alternatives to 'old folks' home', and it is the narrative in UNASSISTED LIVING that is the most intriguing with ideas to take away and consider in my own life. So it is definitely worth a look, just don't forget to also read!

10 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a book for the housing industry and "baby boomers" thinking about their retirement lifestyle November 17, 2011

By Lori Bitter

Format:Hardcover

I had an opportunity to preview this book earlier this fall in preparation for my radio program, The Business of Aging. Jeffrey Rosenfeld has been a regular contributor to our magazine as an expert in retirement living. This book is a visual feast and reflects the breadth of the baby boomer generation, their thought process as they age, and how they wish to live - outside of the constructs of today's offering in the retirement living space. Many of the homes are very personal and reflect those generational values. Others are far reaching - reflecting concepts that we are just beginning to embrace in the aging space - can the way we live affect the quality of our aging? Some of the examples provoke thought and should create conversation. And there are reflections of our society and this recession. Multigenerational housing or compounds as a plan, not a necessity, rises to the top of these trends. Jeffrey and Wid have created an amazing book that gives anyone over the age of 50 something to think about. To hear the interview on "The Business of Aging", click on this link: [...]

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Unassisted Living June 30, 2012

By SusieMcg

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Nicely illustrated coffee table book. Not what I was expecting. I had hoped for more information and photographs regarding assistive devices and products added into the new home for help with mobility and IADL's in later life.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Unassisted Living Indeed November 29, 2011

By Maggie

Format:Hardcover

As a member of the "baby boomer" crowd I found the subject matter of Unassisted Living to be timely and informative. There is no way that anyone I know will go down the "traditional" route of dealing with those "latter years" so I am always on the hunt for alternatives. My friends and I have often discussed the concept of a group purchase of real estate that would allow for a cost efficient - fun - "more in keeping with who we are" way of moving in to our 70's/80's - when we get there. I thought the information presented was comprehensive and beautifully illustrated. Although not all of us will have the luxury of being friends with, married to or in some other manner connected to an architect / interior designer, all of us can benefit from tips throughout this book that goes well beyond basic "grab bars" that we've all become so accustomed to as a basic need for seniors. As one of 9 children who with my sibs retrofitted our family home to better accommodate our parents in their final years -- the point repeatedly made within this book (as is made elsewhere as well) related to the importance of clear - open spaces being tied to safety vis a vis reducing tripping, falling incidents is key. In home environments LESS is absolutely MORE and heck if we can clear clutter and be true minimalists decor wise - why not ! I look forward to sharing the book with my sibs, friends and colleagues this Holiday season.