The Johnson Residence

Independent Living

Steve Johnson contacted Accessibility Design when he was ready to make a major change in his life. At 42, Steve was living in a nursing home in a small town in Minnesota. He didn't need the level of care provided by the nursing home, but he didn't have another obvious option for housing. Steve felt trapped by his circumstances, and decided to take action to improve his life. His goals were to be as independent as possible, to use his savings wisely, and to stay in the community he loved surrounded by people whom he knew he could always count on when he needed them.

Exceeding Expectations
Accessibility Design helped Steve realize his goals. With acres of beautiful farm land surrounding the town and ample savings, Steve was able to opt for new construction where he could stretch his money into a fully accessible home that would provide space for both him and his care giver.

A lot was chosen, the design begun and everyone involved got excited about the way the project took shape. The integration of new technology in surface finishes including flooring, a window design that Steven can clean inside and out - independently, and assistive technology that includes a ceiling mounted track lift system, inclined platform lift, and motorized lowering of cabinets, not only enhances Steve's life, but enables him to reduce his hours of home care from 24 hours per day to 6. This represents a significant savings in care costs for Steve. He no longer needs the lower-level suite for a full-time care giver and can rent it as an apartment if he chooses.

Features of the accessible home include:

• Exercise/Therapy Room
• Work/Hobby Room
• Live-in Aid Room
• Wheelchair Stair Lift
• Power Window Openers
• Ceiling Mounted Track Lift System
• Roll-in Shower

Built in the early 90's Steve Johnson's home was one of the earliest of its kind and the project that put Accessibility Design's skills and talents in the public eye.

"A Home for Independence"
by Shelley Croes, Free Press Staff Writer

"Charting a course to independence"
by Tim J. Johnson, Leader Editor