Home modifications to transition from an Active lifestyle to Activities of Daily Life
Homelight.com
The rare event of a pandemic has changed our daily habits. People are not only thinking about how to cope with changes with activities of daily living will also need to think about eventually transitioning from an active lifestyle to a lifestyle activity of caregiving need.
A few weeks ago, staying at home or transitioning to a care center were options.
How we stay at home and if we transition to a care center will need to be changed. Where will we receive caregiving from family, friends, social services?
Are your caregivers able to help you if you live at home? If you want to transition to a care center, is it safe? Will there be sufficient staff to care for you and others at the center?
Recent statistics gathered by AARP show that 90% of retiring homeowners want to age in place—but whether they are proactively making plans to do so is another story.
“People think of ‘small’ when they think of downsizing, when they may just need to resize and reappropriate the square footage or downsize into a space that has features to make them more comfortable in their everyday life.”
Source: (Visually)
Source: (HomeAdvisor)
Finding an accessible home sounds like a lot of work because no house is going to have everything you might want or need. Luckily, it doesn’t have to be overwhelming if you hire an agent experienced in helping retirees find homes that are already accessible or easily remodeled for improved mobility.
Plus, there are plenty of products specifically designed to improve any home’s functionality for the aging and infirm—that you can afford with the help of federal grants, loans or your existing home equity, or reverse mortgage
Let’s explore the current trends around aging in place and then we’ll get into our top picks for the most practical and functional home accessibility features. That way, aging in place becomes a real possibility, rather than a pipe dream.
How to think about your long-term needs when you downsize for retirement
A study conducted by the National Council on Aging found that 84% of retirees aged 60 or older report high levels of confidence that they will be able to stay in their homes without having to make any significant changes.
However, only 20% of home service professionals who cater to aging homeowners say that their clients reach out proactively before health and mobility issues require immediate home improvements to increase accessibility and self-sufficiency.
Though too few are preparing in advance for the health problems that come with aging, the truth is millions of retirees will have physical limitations like hearing loss, vision issues, and reduced mobility.
So if you downsize into a home without thinking about your future mobility and accessibility needs, your plans to age in place may be cut short.
“Oftentimes, while we still have good health, we don’t think ahead to a day when we might be in a wheelchair, or might need a hip replacement, or a knee surgery,” explains Dopp. “If you’re not able to maneuver in the downsized house after your health fails, you’re going to have to move again. So it’s better to buy a property that’s going to work long term.”
The question is: How can you tell if the home you want to downsize into will work for your physical needs long term?
Unless you’ve got a working crystal ball, there’s no way to know what your needs will be for certain however there are basic home features that can help all seniors age in place longer.
Source: (AARP)
Single-level homes with zero-step entrances make moving about easier whether you’re getting around in a wheelchair, with a walker or cane, or simply unsure of your footing.
It’s also a wise idea to look for properties with halls and doorways wide enough to meet government accessibility regulations.
Source: (ADA)
“I’ll preview homes for clients who have very specific accessibility needs, because they don’t want to run around to 8 to 10 homes that won’t work,” says Dopp. “So you have to be able to tell whether a home could already work for them, or if it could work with a few changes, like removing a non-weight-bearing wall, or remodeling the bathroom.”
Without further ado, let’s review the types of aging-in-place features that can save you from another move down the line.
1. Stairlifts and residential elevators
If it’s your dream to restore a two-story historic home in your retirement years, don’t let accessibility issues deter you. While stairs aren’t ideal, they’re by no means a deal breaker—thanks to stairlifts and residential elevators.
A stairlift is a chair attached to a track that’s mounted along the staircase—while leaving plenty of room to use the stairs as normal. You can get one for an average cost of $3,000 to $5,000 installed—the final price tag is primarily determined by the type and brand of stairlift you choose.
Source: (Fixr)
The alternative for making two-story homes accessible is the residential elevator.
An elevator requires more space and time to install than a chairlift, and comes with a heftier price tag, too. It costs an average of $40,000 to install an elevator in a two-story house, and can reach well over $50,000 depending on the brand, difficulty of the install, and adding additional floors.
Source: (Fixr)
The plus side of an elevator over a chairlift is that it has the potential to increase your home’s value. Unlike a chairlift (which is primarily practical for moving a single, infirm person), many residential elevators are capable of carrying more than one person and are useful for lugging heavy loads (like luggage) upstairs.
Plus, residential elevators are a rising trend because they appeal to a wider buyer pool, including families with kids. This means an elevator has a better chance of helping your house sell than a stairlift that appeals to the limited retiree crowd.
2. Easy-install indoor wheelchair ramps
Stairlifts and elevators aren’t practical if you’ve only got a short flight of stairs to overcome—for those you’ll need a wheelchair ramp.
According to a recent study by the National Technology for Biotechnology Information, almost half of nondisabled elderly report difficulty navigating stairs. That’s why ramps aren’t just for the wheelchair-bound, they’re a practical way to reduce accessibility obstacles for retirees using walkers, canes, or without any assistance at all.
Source: (Shareok)
Ramps come in many shapes and sizes, and with or without railings depending on your personal needs. There are even threshold ramps to eliminate the minor trip hazard posed by your door sills. The cost varies by type, costing as little as $50 for a threshold ramp into the thousands for a full-sized, permanently-installed wheelchair ramp.
Source: (Aging.com)
However, if you’re living with a lot of little stairs, like split-level houses or homes with sunken living rooms, it’s wiser to downsize into a house without stairs than installing a dozen or more ramps into your existing home.
3. Bathroom grab bars and handrails
Damp and steamy tubs, showers, tiles, and flooring make bathrooms the most dangerous place in the home for all ages. The risks only increase with age as retirees grapple with balance issues.
That’s why it’s smart to install grab bars well before you think you’ll need them—both in your tub and shower area and by the toilet.
Some seniors put off installing grab bars because they’re picturing those bulky, unattractive pipe-sized safety rails you find in public restrooms. Luckily, many of the top bathroom fixture manufacturers offer designer grab bars that’ll blend in with any decor style.
Just make sure that you get yours properly installed by a professional—which will run you around $85 to $400 depending on how much reinforcement is needed for a safe installation.
Without proper installation, your grab bar might just fall off the wall with you if you put your full body weight on it when you slip.
Source: (Artazum/Shutterstock)
4. Walk-in tubs and showers
Grab bars aren’t the only way to increase safety in the bathroom—
walk-in tubs and showers remove the balance hazard of stepping over the side of a tall tub.
Most walk-in tubs are made with a built-in seat which provides an extra measure of fall prevention. Basic models are simple soaking tubs, while deluxe models offer features including air baths, whirlpools, and massage jets.
The average cost to install a walk-in tub runs between $5,000 to $7,000, but can be as low as $3,200 for soaking tubs. While walk-in tubs offer independence for many seniors, they tend to appeal only to the elderly age bracket.
On the other hand, a walk-in shower appeals to most buyers, making it a smarter accessibility feature to install because of its potential to increase your home’s value.
Built-in or wall-mounted shower seats can be installed in your walk-in shower to provide an equal level of security as a walk-in tub—as well as a zero-entry, infinity drain for easy wheelchair entry.
At an average cost of $3,491 installed, a walk-in shower is the less expensive option, too.
5. Automatic door openers and easy-open handles
The loss of physical strength—and specifically grip strength—are declining health eventualities that most seniors need to face. Updating your doors for safety and easier access can lessen the impact of this fact on your everyday life.
Installing an automatic garage door opener is a start, but that’s not the only door where you can install an auto opener. Almost any residential door can be retrofitted with a power door opener—an especially handy feature on heavy doors, or for retirees using walkers and wheelchairs.
Installing a garage door opener runs between $300 and $350, while residential door openers vary by manufacturer, model, accessories, and number of doors.
If gripping your existing doorknobs is your main accessibility issue, you can skip the auto opener and simply increase your accessibility with lever handles that are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Just like bathroom grab bars, ADA-compliant lever door handles are available in a variety of styles to work with any design style. If you DIY the installation, you’ll only pay for the handles themselves, which can cost as little as $20 apiece depending on brand and style. Having them professionally installed by a locksmith can run about $127 per door.
6. Fall-protection flooring
Fall-related injuries and deaths are on the rise, so retirees facing vision and mobility issues need to take every precaution—which may just include installing fall-protection flooring.
Source: (Center for Disease Control and Prevention)
This specialty flooring is designed to absorb impact, which reduces your chances of suffering things like hip injuries or fall-related deaths. The cost of this flooring varies by manufacturer, quality, shock absorbency, and installation fees.
Source: (US National Library of Medicine)
Transitioning from an active lifestyle to activities of daily living
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