Backyard Granny Pods

As America’s senior citizen population rises, middle-aged children of the elderly are trying to find ways to avoid sending their parents to an assisted living facility or nursing home. Reverend Kenneth Dupin of Salem, Virginia has created MEDcottage, a portable dwelling (approximately the size of a large shed or RV) that could be placed into a family’s backyard and used as a home for an aging loved one.

The MEDcottage is equipped with high-tech equipment that would allow family members to monitor their vital signs. Other equipment could alert the family if their loved one falls or it could remind the senior to take medications. Such technology could also provide entertainment and help caregivers move their loved one from one place to another within the dwelling.

Despite these possible benefits, some critics warn that these “granny pods” could cause zoning violations and create tensions with neighbors. However, Dupin believes that the granny pod is a viable solution for the increasing number of elderly people who prefer to live with loves ones rather than in retirement communities. As the number of senior citizens continues to grow, Americans continue to develop new options and technologies for improvements in their quality of life.

Source: The Washington Post, courtesy of Home Digest Magazine