Does Your Home Align with Your Aging-in-Place Plan?

Whether to continue aging in place or move into an independent living community is a deeply personal decision with many variables involved. One important factor is whether your home is truly a safe and practical option for your short- and long-term future.

If the answer is “no” or “maybe,” a secondary question might be whether renovations could make aging in place more plausible. However, before you embark on an aging in place remodeling adventure, which can be costly and time-consuming, it’s a good idea to thoroughly consider how your current home fits into your long-range plans.

Consider Your Quality of Life

In order to determine whether your home is suitable for aging in place or independent living may be a better option, you’ll need to evaluate how your home affects your quality of life.

Location

With retirement approaching or upon you, you have more disposable time and likely envision dedicating a big portion of it to your friends and family. In some cases, neighbors are as much friends as they are family, so that may discourage you from leaving. However, if moving would allow you to be more engaged in your children’s and grandchildren’s lives, your home’s location may be a count against your retirement plans.

Ongoing Maintenance

Owning a home is expensive and it grows more so over time, as you need to update features like the HVAC system or replace old, worn carpet. You may be thrilled with the opportunity to putter in your garden and maintain the lawn for now, but remember that keeping up with a home also places demands on your wallet and body, and some of the less hobby-oriented household chores (like laundry and dishes) cut into your pleasure time.

The demands of home ownership may steadily grow as unexpected repairs arise and you’re less physically able or willing to perform those tasks yourself. If aging in place is your plan, it’s smart to set aside funding for ongoing repairs and maintenance, including the potential need to hire help in the future, and continue to pay into that fund over time.

Renovations

Your home may only need minor modifications to suit your short-term needs, but renovations could become far more involved sometime in the future. Carefully considering how your needs may change in the years ahead will help give you a better idea of the scope of aging in place home modifications you may eventually require.

For example, it’s relatively easy to add grab bars and entrance ramps. It’s far less simple to move all of your living space to a single floor if you’re no longer able to navigate a flight of stairs to reach your bedroom.

Aging in Place Remodeling: Where Your Home Might Need Attention

Not knowing exactly what your future holds can make it difficult to predict how your home might need to change in order to fit your future needs. These are some of the common home elements older adults focus on when they’re making plans for aging in place remodeling projects:

Managing steps: As noted above, if your bedroom is on a different level than the rest of your living space, you may need modifications to either move your bedroom or install a lift that bypasses the stairs.

You’ll also need to evaluate all of the entrances and exits. In many cases, ramps can be relatively easily incorporated for a front porch entrance. However, even if you find a good solution for one entrance, remember you’ll need to assess all other access points to ensure they can be used safely in the event of an emergency.

Indoor mobility: Another one of the key factors that determine whether you can safely age in place is your ability to move freely from one area of your home to another. In other words, can you safely access each area necessary to complete daily tasks like dressing, bathing, grooming and eating? If you become dependent on a walker or wheelchair and your hallways and doorways aren’t wide enough to let you transition from one place to the next, you may need to do some remodeling.

Bathroom modifications: Due to the potential for slippery surfaces, bathrooms pose a special risk for falling. Safety rails can help you transfer in and out of the shower safely, but if you have a tub/shower combination, you may eventually need to consider replacing it with a walk-in shower or a shower bath.

Other aging in place bathroom design considerations include elevated toilets and grab bars that can help you safely lower and raise from the seat. It’s also a good idea to analyze the materials used in the bathroom and the overall design to mitigate potential harm from sharp edges if you fall. For example, a glass shower door could shatter if you topple, putting you at high risk for lacerations that could be even more dangerous than the fall itself.

Flooring and outdoor walkways: Uneven surfaces within and outside your home are another potential pitfall. This might be where one style of interior flooring transitions to another or where sidewalks begin to show their age with cracks and separation.

Certain types of interior flooring can also be particularly slippery, such as polished and natural stone and vinyl. The risk is greatest when wet, but even dry, these surfaces can be slick in their natural state or due to cleansing solutions. Fully replacing problematic flooring is a costly proposition, but in some cases it’s the only way to eliminate a problem.

Lighting: Even young people can stumble in poorly lit conditions. Adding floor and task lamps can help illuminate your living spaces, but as part of your aging in place remodeling project, you could move switches to allow you to brighten a room or hallway before you enter it. Also remember that you’ll want to position the switches low enough that you can reach them if you become reliant on a wheelchair.

Door handles, faucets and other hardware: While you may think of your cabinet pulls and doorknobs as decorative, they may actually become obstacles if your grip weakens as you age. Many older adults prefer lever-style door handles and faucets and bar-style cabinet hardware so they can more easily open doors and pull drawers.

When It Makes More Sense to Move On

After a thoughtful evaluation, you might decide that safety and well-being would be better served in a home designed with senior-friendly features. Or you may discover that the cost of your aging in place remodeling plan exceeds what you can afford or want to invest in the property.

Those are great reasons to take a closer look at independent living. This type of senior living community allows you to enjoy your retirement lifestyle in a residence designed for older adults, while taking advantage of services and amenities that enhance your quality of life.