Making Homes Safer for and More Conducive to Aging in Place

by Sue Zislis

This article includes excerpts from “The Homebuilding and Remodeling Guide”

Although life is unpredictable, we can anticipate the potential challenges that come with aging as well as how those challenges are likely to impact our lifestyle. For example, we are all likely to notice gradual decreases in:

• The quality of vision, especially night vision.

• The quality of hearing.

• Balance and stamina, which impact ease of mobility.

• Hand strength and dexterity.

Acknowledging these likely changes and making accommodations for them in your current or future home, can enable you to age more gracefully and “in place.” The modifications you might want to consider fall under the umbrella of Universal Design principles. Are you anticipating the need for a home that:

• Is smaller?

• Allows you to stay in the community that you know so well and love?

• Requires less care?

• Causes less wear and tear on your knees?

• Has features that would enable you to live safely and independently for as long as possible?

Unfortunately, Carbondale, has few very few housing options that make aging in community feasible. But, a functional and cost solution is incorporating Universal Design features into your current home. If you are fortunate enough to be building a new home where you are hoping to live for a long time, you can incorporate these features from the beginning, saving later money and aggravation. Universal Design, also called barrier-free design focuses on improving safety and accessibility for everyone, regardless of age, physical ability, or stature. Universal Design features often remain largely invisible to the casual observer but can be a game changer when you or a guest experience a disability (even if unexpected and temporary). The design features listed below can help prevent falls and inconvenience for the most agile among us.

STEPS – Although a one-story home is ideal, the following strategies can help if you have steps:

• Have all essential living spaces on the entry floor (bedroom, full bath, laundry, kitchen).

• If the stairwell in a multi-level home is wide enough, install stairlift chairs, which are easy to use. Medicare will pay for a portion of this purchase, as long as a physician agrees that there is a medical reason to have one.

• Where there must be steps (indoors or out):

  • Do not have too many grouped together.

  • Make sure steps are not more than 6” high.

  • Have a broad, deep resting ledge between groups of steps.

  • Install sturdy handrails on both sides.

  • Avoid using an overhang “lip” on each stair riser. These are hazardous, because it is easy to catch a toe on the ledge when climbing the steps.

FLOORS

• Choose nonslip options, e.g., low-pile, wall-to-wall carpet; cork; textured vinyl; small, porcelain tiles (the texture and grout will grip feet better than larger, smooth-surface tiles).

• Eliminate throw rugs and area rugs. Keep the floor uncluttered.

• Use nonslip doormats with heavy contoured edges that won’t curl up.

• Be sure your room lighting illuminates all walking surfaces.

• Use minimum or no thresholds in all doorways.

• Have hallways that are 36″ wide and doorways that are 32″ to 36″ wide. This provides a broad base of support for a balance-challenged person and allows equipment or a side-by-side twosome to pass.

BATHROOMS

• Choose a single-lever water temperature control on sink and shower faucets. This allows one-handed control and helps prevent scalds.

• Locate tub and shower controls off-center, toward the entry side to reduce the need for bending and reaching.

• Install a toilet with a height of 16″ to 17” and an elongated seat, requiring less bending.

• Consider installing countertops on “floating vanities,” allowing a seated person to tuck their feet under and get closer to the sink.

• Install a walk-in shower stall with a wide, no-threshold entry instead of, or in addition to, a tub. (Getting in and out of a tub can be life-threatening for balance challenged people and those with joint stiffness.)

• Use a shower curtain instead of glass doors.

• Add well-anchored grab bars in the tub and shower and next to the toilet.

• Put nonslip strips in the tub and shower.

• Install a hand-held showerhead whose height is adjustable for seated washing.

• https://www.aarp.org/livable-communities/info-2014/using-an-OT-or-CAPS.html Install lower countertops at one work area that has knee room for seated food preparation.

• Include pull-out and swing-out storage bins and shelves to avoid prolonged bending and exaggerated reach.

THROUGHOUT THE HOME

• Use lever-style doorknobs that are easier for weaker hands and for using your elbows when your hands are full of packages.

• Install pulls instead of knobs on cabinets to enable using a whole hand, not just fingertips.

• Consider pocket doors that maximize maneuvering space and reduce accidents from leaning on swinging doors.

• Install windows that slide open side-to-side, because stiff shoulders and wrists make the up/down or crank-style window handles more difficult to use.

• Place electrical outlets at least 18″ above the floor and light switches at 44”to 48” above the floor. These are better for folks with limited bending ability and reach.

• Use soft, overhead lighting that can be operated from a wall switch. This is easier and safer than free-standing lamps that can tip over when searching for the toggle switch.

• Place electrical outlets higher to avoid bending when connecting appliances.

• Select countertops and furniture that have rounded corners and edges. Bumping or falling onto these surfaces is likely to cause less serious injury.

OUTDOORS

• Include a 5-ft-square, flat, covered platform at the main entryway. This allows a safe, dry spot for someone to fumble with house keys who also has an armload of groceries, is standing with a walker, or pushing a stroller.

• Plan the landscaping and driveway so that a ramp can be built at a later date. To be safe and functional, space should be allowed for a ramp that is 36” wide and a minimum of 12″ long for every 1″of rise. If there is a need for a turn in the ramp, space for a turning platform will be required. A ramp should have a handrail on both sides.

• Make sure driveways and walkways have a nonslip, textured surface.

• Plan walkways that are 3-ft wide to allow a helper to walk next to a person.

By making modifications like these to your living space you may be able to stay safely and comfortably in a home you love for a longer time, while continuing to enjoy a high quality of life.

RESOURCES FOR AGING IN PLACE AND UNIVERSAL DESIGN

• Center for Universal Design

• Universal Design Features For Housing – a list of all specifications and features (inside and outside the home).

• Aging In Place Remodeling Tips – things to consider when designing the kitchen of your dreams for aging in place.

• Home Automation Technology For The Home – a list of automated house features, including: remote-controlled and motion-activated lighting; doorbells; in-house call chimes; garbage disposals; stove timers; wireless headphones; wireless TVs; phones; intercoms; electronic door access. Homebuilders are putting more focus on multigenerational living in single-family housing as more and more younger homeowners plan to have their aging parents move in with them at some point.

• Aging In Place Home Modifications – the top 8 things you should consider before building or remodeling your home with the goal of aging in place.

• Two-Story Universal Home Plans – this wall-sized color poster shows the ideal features inside a 2-story universal design house that accommodates everyone.

• Aging In Place Specialists & Occupational Therapists – what exactly they do and how to find a certified aging-in-place specialist near you.