Why does aging-in-place matter?
Aging-in-place isn’t a topic that should be put off until we’re older. And it shouldn’t wait until someone is concerned that a loved one needs to move into a senior living facility. Aging is something we all do, everyday, all day long. We need to talk about it before it becomes the most critical and concerning item on the list of things to do.
The decision to move into a senior living facility involves more than just practical reasons. The emotional investment in a home is way more impactful than moving furniture and treasures into a new set of walls. Spend time thinking about how a new environment may help or hinder the reasons why a move is being considered.
I think that the pandemic and stay-at-home orders that many of us have experienced this year have given the younger generations an insight into how our home environments can affect our mental health and physical health.
It’s no different for seniors. Being in a home filled with memories can help someone who is struggling with the loss of a loved one or who is in the early stages of dementia. Familiarity can be extremely beneficial to healthy longevity.
Planning for aging-in-place
Unfortunately most of us never think about aging when we buy a home. In our country, we talk about starter homes and plan to move about every 13 years, according to the National Association of Realtors. So if the plan was to eventually move, the house wasn’t ever designed for the changing needs that aging can bring.
It can actually cost less to update a home than live in a senior living facility. Depending on the requirements of the homeowner, an update could involve simple changes or bigger remodeling projects.
Easy-ish updates
I have a go-to list of easy changes that can help make a home easier to live in at any age.
Some of the updates include changing out door handles to lever-style handles that are easier to grasp and changing light switches to a paddle switch (often called a Decora switch) that’s easier to use.
Adding a smart home assistant like Alexa or Google Assistant as a safety measure so you can more easily call for help in case of a fall can be helpful. And if your budget allows, changing out the stove to an induction cooktop can help reduce the chances of burns.
Not-as-easy updates
Bigger home design changes can involve raising outlets so there is no need to bend over to plug and unplug items. Replacing the bathtub with a walk-in tub or a shower with grab bars helps extend independence.
Adding step lights to stairs can help reduce trips and falls and changing light fixtures to be motion sensors make navigating at night easier. Adding a bathroom on the main level is a much bigger investment, but if there is ever a mobility issue, you’ll be grateful for it.
Cost of aging-in-place updates
The costs for these improvements vary based on the number of changes, the location of plumbing, and types of fixtures and finishes. For example, a switch replacement can cost about $100 each. Adding a bathroom typically costs around $15,000.
When a senior living facility can cost about $50,000 per year, these improvements are much more affordable.
Most important home update
But before I would do any changes to the design of a home, I first encourage decluttering. Piles of magazines, unused furniture, knick knacks, and extra clothes stored on racks can reduce the space allowed to move through rooms.
About 20 million adults in the US have difficulty walking, and every year 36 million older adults fall. Reducing the trip hazards in a home can greatly improve the chances of being able to care for yourself and stay in your home.
And, honestly, everyone can benefit from these home improvement updates. What’s called aging-in-place makes living easier for anyone, young or old, short or tall, and fit or limited.
Thanks for the blog article. Really thank you! Really Cool. Kalina Adrien Apollo