Top 5 Home Improvements to Allow for Aging in Place Independently

BackTop 5 Home Improvements to Allow for Aging in Place Independently

With the aging population increasing, it is no wonder homeowners and families face unexpected changes that can impact your living situation and safety. It especially adds more challenges if your living space is not at your optimal convenience. Narrow doorways, slippery floors, and hard-to-reach storage often make everyday tasks much harder. It simply demands a remodel with aging in place in mind. 

Studies show that up to 75% of adults aged 50 and older prefer to stay in their current homes as they age. To have a safe and reliable home upgrade, most people start with no-slip flooring, adding senior-friendly features, or installing ramps or stairlifts to eliminate the need for climbing stairs.

Keep on ready to learn must-know home improvement ideas for aging in place.

Most-Recommended Home Improvements for Aging in Place Independently

1. Upgrade Your Bathroom

While upgrading your bathroom for senior living, you must check and ensure safety, accessibility, and ease of use. Plus, it should reduce the risks of falls and provide the ultimate stability and support.

Here are some essential features you need to fix:

Zero-entry showers
It is also known as curbless, no-threshold, or barrier-free showers, specially designed for senior citizens. The lack of a curb makes it easier for seniors to access the shower safely. Incorporate it with no-slip flooring and potentially a shower chair or bench for comfortable use.

Secure existing fixtures

Secure fixtures such as grab bars and handrails provide essential support to the senior. It adds a safety dimension near bathrooms, doorways, hallways, and staircases. Secure toilets, sinks, and showers to ensure the best support while moving.

Motion-sensor or voice-activated lighting

You can install a motion sensor or voice-activated light to increase the convenience with hands-free control. Elders will have full control to automatically turn on and off lights when it detects movement. In dark areas, these additions help seniors prevent tripping hazards and also unnecessary energy use.

Large storage with pull-out shelves

Pull-out shelves and drawers will make it easier for seniors to get the necessary items right in their hands. To ensure better accessibility, use large, easy-to-grip handles on cabinets and drawers.

2. Widen Doorways & Improve Accessibility

Moving along and looking at the Top 5 Home Improvements to Allow for Aging in Place independently, seniors using mobility aids like wheelchairs or walkers often struggle with narrow doorways. Due to limited space and restricted movement, they may lose balance, and get stuck, increasing the risk of injuries.

Wineteer Construction offers its go-to solution for the seniors:

Expand doorways to 32-36 inches

It is best to expand your doorways up to 32-36 inches. It effectively allows wheelchair and walker access without obstruction. In case your space is limited, you can reconfigure your existing walls. As an alternative, you can pocket doors or sliding doors, and ensure more accessible space.

Use lever-style door handles

You can replace your traditional round door knobs with advanced lever-style handles. It is easier to grip and operate, especially for seniors with arthritis.

3. Upgrade Your Floors

Refinishing your flooring is one of the major upgrades, especially to ensure ultimate safety and convenience for the senior. After long use, many flooring materials become slippery, and uneven, which makes it difficult to use. Elders often feel discomfort in knees, hips, and backs on tile or concrete flooring.

Refinishing fixes any imperfections, such as scratches, dents, scuffs, or stains in the existing flooring. This overall increases its durability. Plus, the seniors can effectively stand or lean on it longer without any physical obstructions.

The best part for elders with a wheelchair or any other walker mobility is that, the smooth flooring reduces the resistance and ensures easier movement for them.

Install any non-slip flooring option that is easy to maintain. Many homeowners add a low-pile carpet in high-traffic areas of their houses to ensure the best grip.

4. Add Ramps or Stair Lifts for Mobility Support

Ramps and stairlifts are the most popular mobility aids that are designed to help individuals with physical limitations. Such aids can easily lift the stairs without navigating them.

Ramps mainly provide a safe and gradual incline, whereas stairlifts feature a motorized chair that is designed to climb the stairs.

Both essential features ensure the ultimate flexibility of using stairs even with various mobility conditions. It reduces the high fall risk for seniors and prevents accidents. For better access, you can install the ramp at every doorway as well.

It helps with fast and safe exits in case of fires or medical emergencies. However, make sure to install ADA-compliant ramps and stairlifts, having some special guidelines:

• A maximum of 1:12 slope
• At least 36-inch width
• A 30-inch max rise per run
• 60-inch landings
• Install handrails for rises over 6 inches
• A slip-resistant surface

5. Enhance Lighting for Better Visibility

Proper lighting is an essential upgrade in your home improvement and ensures that seniors can access their home’s special areas without any falls.

Some of the best suggestions for improving the lighting in your house include:

• Add energy-efficient light bulbs wherever you find them important in your home.
• But must place nightlights in hallways, bathrooms, and bedrooms to prevent trips.
• You can use multiple light sources, such as ceiling lights, table lamps, and wall sconces. It reduces shadows and dark spots in the space.
• Make sure to add under-cabinet lighting in kitchens. Also, install reading lights near chairs and bright lamps in workspaces. It is vital for specific activities.

Additional Home Improvement Tips for Aging in Place

Beyond the above ones, here are some additional home improvement tips that you can add to your book to ensure a more convenient living space for aging:

• Smart home features: You can upgrade your existing home features with all the smart solutions. This includes voice-activated assistants, smart thermostats, motion-sensor lights, and video doorbells.
• Ensure single-level living spaces: The best is if you can shift your bedroom to the ground floor. You don’t need to climb stairs again and again. Also, move the laundry to the main floor and make the laundry task easier.
• Create high-contrast visuals: Seniors with low vision or depth perception issues can have difficulty distinguishing surfaces. For instance, you can ensure high-contrast visuals for every part, like using contrasting colors for walls and floors, or bright light switches.
• Install accessible storage solutions: Install pull-down shelves, pull-out pantry drawers, and D-shaped handles for better storage solutions.
• Upgrade kitchen for accessibility: Don’t miss out on kitchen upgrades. As the best suggestion, you can lower the countertops, install touchless faucets, and use induction cooktops.

Aging in place simply requires smart home modifications. It is recommended to ensure safety, accessibility, and independence. Through some key upgrades, like installing grab bars, zero-entry showers, or expanding doorways, you can further enhance your mobility and reduce the fall risk.

So, are you ready to future-proof your home? Contact our home improvement specialist now and have a safer, more accessible living space. As specialists in the Kansas City area, we can design and build out your vision!