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We all will age. When building or buying a forever home, it is essential to consider. However, though you must consider it a factor, don’t let age limit your dreams. Remodeling efforts can go a long way toward making a home suitable for an elderly body. Adapt your home to you. Promote independence, ensure safety, and guarantee comfort well into the future. By planning for the coming years, you can ensure that complete renovations and simple modifications will stick with you through thoughtful design choices.
Why You Should Accommodate Aging
It may not seem pressing now, but accommodating aging increases the potential for independence in freedom. Incorporation of aging-friendly features before they’re needed saves money on emergency renovations down the road. Maintaining a feeling of long-term stability, these features allow homeowners to remain in their homes longer. Familiarity and comfort are difficult to reestablish. Keep them while you can.
The benefits of accommodating aging apply to those who don’t live within the home, bringing peace to family members and caretakers. When they are reassured that their loved ones live in a safe and accessible environment, they can rest easy. Age-friendly features reduce reliance on assisted living, allowing homeowners to age gracefully in the home they love.
When the time comes to sell, well-designed, age-friendly modifications will increase the market value. Homes with these features can support buyers with accessibility needs. Accessible homes are incredibly desirable for those who need them. With aging, everyone will someday.
1. Achieve Accessibility
Placed at number one for a reason, accessibility is king. Being able to safely and easily navigate your own home will bring peace and comfort beyond anything else. When a space is built with your needs in mind, it truly feels like home.
Create smooth and barrier-free pathways throughout the home. Doorways should be at least 36 inches wide to accommodate walkers or wheelchairs. Building with an open floor plan increases movement options. Pocket doors are a fantastic option to accomplish both by maximizing space.
Additionally, be sure you will retain the ability to access all areas of your home if you wish.
Entryways should be step-free. A door flush with the ground is ideal. If not, gently sloped ramps are a must. In a multi-level home, aging residents should decide whether installing a stair lift is a good choice.
Lastly, accommodate for any additional need unique to you. Keep thresholds between room levels. Look into purchasing accessibility tools to reduce strain. For swinging doors, an easy swap is lever-style handles. Using leverage will limit struggle for those with reduced hand strength. Change your home to suit you.
2. Build a Better Bathroom
It is important to feel comfortable and secure in your bathroom. A common environment for mobility challenges, bathrooms can be improved through safety-focused upgrades for long-term independence. Consider upgrading to a walk-in shower with built-in seating. This reduces tripping hazards while entering and exiting while offering stability in a seated option. Install handheld showerheads for adaptable use whether you’re sitting or standing.
Adapt the room to prevent accidents. Select non-slip flooring. Place grab bars strategically to deter falls. Add them near the shower, by any tubs, and beside toilets to provide aid while moving within the space. Light the environment well to stop unneeded missteps while finding your footing.
3. Keep your Kitchen User-Friendly
Cooking and providing for oneself is a large source of freedom in life. For this reason, the kitchen must remain accessible and functional for as long as possible. Make your life easier now and far into the future. Opt for pull-out shelves to reduce the need to bend and reach for what you need. Choose your countertop height carefully. If you anticipate needing to sit, consider low countertops. Of course, there are other ways to accommodate sitting if you like the look of high counters, such as higher stools or adjustable islands. Adjust to your needs.
When selecting appliances, aim for ease of use. Install ovens at accessible heights with front-mounted controls, choose easy-to-open refrigerators, and find single-lever faucets. As in the bathroom, good lighting will prevent missteps. Do not miss the under-cabinet lighting for clear visibility when cooking and preparing food.
4. Livable Lighting
We’ve mentioned this already, but here is some advice specific to lighting. Vision often deteriorates with age, so let us help you out. Outside of literal lighting, a good way to make low-vision navigation smoother is to contrast the color of walls, floors, and furniture. Doing so, you make it easier to distinguish walkable areas in low light.
Choose light fixtures with intention. Keep the phrase “layered lighting” in mind while building or renovating. Ambient lighting, task lighting, and accent lighting all serve different purposes in the home. Ambient lighting is the standard, the overall blanket light source for the room. Task lighting is especially valuable as we age, providing light to a workspace. An easy example is lamps, but well-designed lighting can increase visibility for any project. Accent lighting, focused on a specific area, is essential for mobility. These lights illuminate stairwells, hallways, and anywhere else you might want to see just a little better.
Ensure the longevity of your lighting system by making it easy to use. Dimmer switches for adjustable lighting, motion sensors for nighttime safety, and larger rocker-style light switches at accessible heights will provide control and peace of mind in your home. Of course, the easiest light to use is natural light. Large windows provide light throughout the day.
5. Find Functional Flooring
Flooring should be chosen with fall risks in mind everywhere in your home. Select slip-resistant material, such as vinyl, cork, and low-pile carpet. Avoid thick carpets or flooring with uneven surfaces. The variation can create hazards. Thick carpets can get caught in walker wheels, and uneven floors are a trip risk.
If you must have area rugs, secure them with non-slip pads. Another tip is to keep flooring throughout the home consistent, avoiding transitions between levels. For extra comfort, add heated floors. Heat eliminates the need for rugs on tile and is, therefore, most desirable in kitchens and bathrooms.
6. Try New Technology
Tech can be intimidating to incorporate into a home for the elderly, but the right gadgets and appliances will provide freedom their basic counterparts cannot. Fall detection systems, emergency response tools, and other health monitoring devices offer a peace of mind unheard of in prior generations. The independence given through the ability to ask for help on your own is invaluable.
Smart home features greatly enhance convenience and safety for aging homeowners. Voice-activated and automatic features are fantastic accessibility tools. Homeowners can control their home remotely, opening up use when mobility function decreases. Physical strain adds up in old age, and adapting to it in your daily life ahead of time can help you maintain your strength in the future.
7. Observe Outdoor Accessibility
Don’t trap yourself inside! In addition to installing ramps and leveling the entryway, maintain the exterior of your home. Keep pathways outside just as wide as those inside your home. Motion-sensor lighting on commonly traveled paths reduces tripping hazards as well. When selecting material for your driveway, choose one that is slip-resistant.
Find freedom in fun as well. Elevating garden beds will increase accessibility to the hobby as it becomes harder to bend. Covering your porch from the sun creates a shared outdoor space to enjoy your hobbies throughout the year. Spend time outdoors!
Remodeling with aging in mind isn’t just about safety. It’s about personal freedom. Creating a comfortable, adaptable home that evolves with your needs to empower you with independence far into the future. By making thoughtful design choices, homeowners can enjoy their space for years to come, enhancing their quality of life.
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