Remodeling Your Home To Fit Your Needs As You Age
As homeowners grow older, good remodeling design may be the difference between being
able to live independently in their own home and having to move to a senior living facility. Aging can mean needing to remodel your stairs, your kitchen, your bathroom, and even the level at which everything rests.
Years ago the home design needs of seniors was not often taken into consideration. Now just about everyone is looking at the way homes are designed and realizing how inappropriate they are for this growing portion of the population.
Many seniors choose to move to a one story home, to make rooms more accessible, and quicker to maneuver to. However, if you want to stay in the home you currently live in, some modifications can be made to ensure your safety, and comfort.
To get the biggest bang for your buck, start early and adopt a long-term approach. Every time you make a change, replacement, or improvement to something around your home, look at the project as an opportunity to make the home a partner in your quest for long-term independence.
For example, if your front walkway is starting to break up and you are considering replacing it, go a bit further with your planning. Is there any way to eliminate some or all of the steps in front of your home?
Many homes have a lovely curving walk that winds from the driveway to the front porch. There it terminates at a couple of steps.
What if you were to have the repair firm re-grade the walk slightly? In many cases a gentle slope in the walk will entirely eliminate the need for steps.
Done as part of a routine improvement or replacement, this new feature is not likely to cost you many, if any, additional dollars. Just as importantly, the new walkway will look like it belongs.
It will look like it was meant to be that way, not like the wheelchair ramps that people have to resort to when they haven't planned ahead. Wherever you have steps, you need good solid railings.
This is one area where you do not want to cut costs. Even the safest steps can be treacherous without a hand railing to grip just in case.
If you have a wheelchair, you are going to need to make sure that you have wheelchair access into and out of your home. Eliminating steps not only helps those in wheelchairs, it makes things easier for everyone.
Wouldn't it be easier if you could roll your luggage right from the living room to the car? Wouldn't it be great to take the grandkids for a walk and wheel the stroller right into the house?
Imagine how much easier grocery shopping would be if you could unload groceries into a small cart and wheel them right into the kitchen. Think wheels, not wheelchairs!
However, if your home has many steps that you would have to completely tear out, you may encounter a roadblock. Unfortunately, this is a common situation.
Your best bet is to arrange rooms so that it is workable to live independently (even if only temporarily) on one level. This may mean rethinking the laundry routine.
If your laundry equipment is down in the dark depths of the basement, consider creating a laundry alcove or closet near the kitchen. If your household has shrunk over the years, you might find that you could do fine with a compact washer and dryer pair that fits into a closet.
Be creative. If you don't have a bedroom on the same floor as the kitchen, investigate ways to make the living room or dining room convertible to a temporary bedroom.
Often, the easiest way to do this is to install pocket doors that allow one of these spaces to be closed off and made private. In the meantime, the doors will give you more flexibility when entertaining and dealing with hordes of grandchildren.
Many homes only have a half-bath on the main floor. The next time you do any remodeling or major interior repairs, consider converting the half-bath to a full bath by adding a shower.
A shower takes up less space than a tub and it is much easier for most folks to use. As you can see, as you age, there are many thing to consider when it comes to your living situation-think about your budget, and decide what you can do to make sure life is safe, healthy, and comfortable.
by: Tom Selwick
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