Red Hot
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Garage Problem.
Garage Solution.
GARAGE
STORAGE SYSTEMS
Garage
a Mate
(313) 583-2707
580 E. Maple Road, Troy, MI 48083
54 HOME
tems are two accessories geared to
wood-burning fireplaces. A fireback
is a black cast-iron plate positioned
against the back wall of a fireplace;
it is used to increase the radiant heat
output of the fireplace. Pennsylvania
Firebacks make a series of designs
priced from $150 to $300.
Hearth Shoppe Products makes Saf-
T-Grates. These unique grates contain
numerous holes and slots rather than
just bars, and can be expanded in
size. Saf-T-Grates keep hot embers
closer to the burning logs, which
allows for a more efficient, slower
burning fire. The basic 22-inch section
costs about $65.
Fireplace tools have moved beyond
the traditional brass set with colonial
finials. Virginia Metalcrafters, known
for their museum-quality reproduc-
tions of fireplace utensils, is making
handsome white bronze tool sets and
andirons with striking contemporary
styling.
Pilgrim offers a bold design for
tools in brass and black or brass and
glass. Stone Country Ironworks hand-
forges tools in artistic patterns like the
Grapecluster, Ram's Head, Longhorn
and Leaf. A fireplace tool set which
includes a shovel, poker, brush and
sometimes tongs, sells from $80 to
over $500 for an ornate style.
Elderly Options
Continued from Page 49
portive care facility for seniors, a
home for those who are more depen-
dent, which provides assistance for
activities for daily living such as
meals, housekeeping, and has a nurse
on duty.
"The phenomenon of aging in place
is becoming an increasingly impor-
tant factor in building and develop-
ing senior housing," reports Brigit
Hassig, housing specialist for the Area
Agency on Aging, Southfield.
"Although people 85 plus are the
fastest growing population group,
most of them won't need nursing
homes if we can provide adequate
services. The problem is that for the
middle and upper income elderly
person there are many such facilities
available. For those with lower in-
come, the waiting list to get into one
of the subsidized facilities averages
about five years. Not many
developers want to get involved with
these projects because of the regula-
tions and costs, and few in the non-
profit sector have a good under-
standing of working with the govern-
ment. The result is often a lack of
housing for those who need it the
most."
One development which is trying to
meet the needs of the elderly is
Windemere. Windemere„ located on
Farmington Road in West Bloomfield,
has added a supportive unit for
memory-impaired residents.
As more of us live longer, we will
all want housing options that provide
safe, suitable physical space along
with access to community resources.
We may want to shop, worship and
volunteer without driving our own
car. We may want to be close to our
children or select a residence that of-
fers a myriad of activities. We want
this range of housing choices to be
financially within our means.
Sadly, the answer to these issues
now lies with very fragmented public
policies on long-term care for the
elderly and biased in favor of institu-
tional care. Most of the legislative
proposals in Congress lack a real
understanding of the critical relation-
Congress must address
the issues of housing
and social services for
the elderly.
ships among housing, social services
and health policies. Most assume
long-term care belongs in the health-
policy domain.
Most older people prefer to age in
a place of their choice rather than be
forced to move to a nursing home
when they become too frail to
manage by themselves. Facing a
dramatic growth of the elderly
population in the next generation, we
need to decide whether to support
older persons in residential rather
than in institutional environments.