Home Modifications to Help You Age in Place
Approximately 90% of all seniors prefer staying in familiar surroundings in their later years. It may be necessary to employ in-home senior care to manage tasks they cannot do on their own. This should not be surprising, since practically everyone prefers aging in their own home as opposed to going to an assisted living facility. However, in many cases it will be necessary to install some home modifications for seniors to facilitate aging successfully in their homes. This is a part of elderly care that requires a bit of a financial investment that can make home care easier and safer for everyone.
Aging in your home
More people than ever are aging in their own homes, because life expectancy continues to grow, there’s a lower poverty rate, and education levels keep rising, so loved ones are better able to accommodate their aging senior parents. At the same time, rising healthcare costs are making assisted living more expensive, so senior home care is becoming increasingly attractive as an option for the elderly.
Home modifications for seniors
Here are the most popular home improvements which are made to homes to allow for elderly in-home care:
- installing ramps – if a senior is bound to a wheelchair, it will be necessary to have stair ramps installed, to accommodate the wheelchair
- widen doorways – wheelchairs generally cannot fit through standard-size doorways, so they have to be widened
- kitchen updates – sometimes appliances have to be made easier to reach, and cabinets and countertops need to be made more accessible
- bathroom updates – installing handle grips in the shower, and no-slip strips in the tub will help the elderly at risk of slipping and falling
- flooring – sometimes carpeting can be thick enough to cause trips, and flooring may be too slippery for the elderly to safely navigate.
