Aging in Place
You love your home. You’re invested in it financially and emotionally and you’d love to stay forever in it. But, as our bodies age, we might struggle with some of the details of navigation through our home or in the completion of day to day tasks. When your knees hurt, it might be harder to use the stairs. When you feel a bit unsteady on your feet, the wet surfaces in the bathroom can feel treacherous. When you’re using a walker, a wheelchair, or an aide is coming to the house regularly to assist you, it might be time to consider wider doorways and hallways or a ramp to the front door. No matter if you’re 30 or 70, it’s always good to examine your home with a critical eye for these details. When you or a friend or relative might need easier access at your house, you’d like for your house to be ready.
This article covers a few wonderful details when considering an aging in place renovation or addition
I have helped clients in this examination of their homes. At one client’s house, we together examined the path of travel from the front door to the bathrooms on either side of the house.
Some of my suggestions were simple (flip a door swing for easier access to a room via wheelchair) and others more difficult (consider a 20-foot long ramp to cover the 14 inches height differential from the front yard grade to the front door).
For one veteran and his family, we completely reimagined the 2 main bathrooms in his house to create one comfortably ADA bathroom layout and one functional hall bath
Another client was ready to fully embrace aging-in-place for their forever home. We created a master suite addition complete with private sitting areas, a wheelchair-accessible master bathroom and an upstairs suite for an imagined live-in aide.
When you’re ready to examine how your home could better function for aging in place or simply easier navigation, contact me. We can study ideas to transition to the front door, create more comfortable hallways and doorways or consider a new main level master addition!
