A discussion with Margot McWhirter

When I was first diagnosed with disability, I was introduced to occupational therapists as a way of learning how to adapt my lifestyle to manage my new restrictions. At the time, I found their advice regarding adapting my spaces limited and not fully effective. However, further research showed me how informative an occupational therapist can be – and in time I was able to discern what would or would not work for my particular situation, but working with several occupational therapists was a large part of that learning curve.

As a registered Occupational Therapist and Founder of Inclusive Aging, Margot McWhirter is passionate about age-inclusive spaces, products and services that promote aging in the right place. In September I had the pleasure of speaking with Margot about her journey as an Occupational Therapist, her thoughts on design interventions for aging in place, and the importance of lived experience.

Photograph of Margot smiling at the camera. Inclusive Aging logo below.

How did you become an occupational therapist?

Margot described her parents as both fostering her interest in design process thinking and healthcare. Her father was in engineering and her mother was a nurse. These careers in addition to her own interest in the lived experience of seniors led her to an undergraduate degree in sociology and gerontology where, when reading about healthcare teams she encountered the description of an occupational therapist and thought – that’s me!

What is occupational therapy?

Margot describes occupational therapy as an inter-professional approach between rehabilitation science, ergonomics and psychology. The practice is geared towards promoting health and well-being of anyone in need of support achieving goals, and assisting with providing resources. Margot mentioned the prevalence of empathy, and emotional intelligence required in this profession as it is a collaborative experience between the occupational therapist and the client.

In particular, Margot is focused on the aspects of universal design that can support seniors with their aging in place needs. Please check out Margot’s website here https://www.inclusiveaging.com/.

So what is the most crucial aspect of interior design that people should think about in their homes?

Lighting and handrails.

Why?

Lighting is one of the least understood impacts on a senior’s quality of life. There are the general aspects, such as good task lighting allows tasks to be completed independently, and avoiding glare prevents visual disability from the lighting. Good overall lighting is required to prevent shadows.

Why shadows?

As we age, and our vision changes, shadows can distort items in the home to become something scary. A hat rack can look like a person lurking or create other unsettling impressions.

What else?

Ambient light helps with the effects of vision loss: combined with understanding the impact of colour and contrast. Light temperature is important to combat insomnia, circadian rhythm disruptors which can all contribute to accidents in the home.

People tend to have a blind spot to how our space can affect us. It’s internalized ageism. When interiors are examined through this lens we can restructure the “Environment as an Enabler”.

Where do we begin?

Every person, and situation is unique. There needs to be a conversation about the lifestyle choices you want to prioritize. There is no standard assessment, but a way to help figure out what your requirements are is to use the ‘way to stay’ tool to document what you experience in your home.

https://www.homemods.info/resources/publications-by-others/access/a-way-to-stay-home-modification-assessment-and-planning-tool

This allows you to figure out what the bespoke solutions are for your space. Design, like life, is about compromise.

So, what kind of advice would you offer for someone who is managing brain fog? There are so many conditions that can cause this.

Of course, the first goal is to prevent brain fog. The second is to minimize it.

Creating open sight lines and cutting down on decision fatigue are all ways to reduce the feeling of being overwhelmed.

Are there some solutions that would work for people with invisible illness but also aging in place?

There are 3 ideas that will always work. First, create a command center. This is a safe space where you can sit comfortably there is a phone charger, your glasses are close by, it’s a planning area and a place to regroup.

Secondly having touches of joy around. A painting you love, a reminder of a great trip. These elements are a respite to a tired mind, familiar and joyful.

Third, the control of sound. Soft furnishings, chair pads to prevent scraping noises, all these elements contribute to a balance between an individual’s capacity and the demands of an environment.

A bubble-wrapped existence is not living.

How do you know that your recommendations are right or enough?

Experience allows the science of occupational therapy to inform the art of crafting a solution. But people are not static creatures. Building a space for someone living with a catastrophic injury is known – but creating a space for someone with dynamic or invisible disability is not universal. It’s a challenge.

Ultimately we want to promote function, independence, and do it with risk management in mind.

Speaking with Margot reminded me that thoughtful design isn’t just about aesthetics — it’s about how our spaces respond to who we are and how we move through the world. Occupational therapy, when paired with design, becomes a bridge between ability and environment. Whether it’s the quality of light, the placement of a handrail, or the creation of a simple command center, these choices shape how supported and independent we feel at home. As Margot so beautifully put it, our environments can be enablers when they’re designed with empathy, adaptability, and lived experience in mind. That’s where true aging in place — and inclusive design — begins.