When renovating homes, I often meet with empty nesters that are weighing the decision between staying in the home where they have made a lifetime of memories or moving to a home that better fits their needs and will allow them to age in place. With either decision, there are several factors that need to be considered to ensure the home will promote independence. Following are 10 tips for making your home or your parent’s home a place that can be enjoyed for years to come.

  1. Single floor living is the most important feature to eliminate the need for navigating stairs to access spaces and functions within the home.
  2. If your home is a two story, it will be vital to make sure the stairway allows space at the bottom of the stairs and top at the stairs, along with any turns to make sure there is enough space for a chair lift, if it would ever need to be installed. However, a two-story home can also work as long is there is space on the first floor for a bedroom, a full bathroom and a laundry room.
  3. Remove the carpet and replace with a hard surface like wood, tile or luxury vinyl tile (LVT) to reduce tripping hazards.
  4. Increase the width of doors, openings, and hallways so the space can be comfortably accessed with a walker or a wheelchair.
  5. Replace the steps at the front of your home with a ramp. As long as the first floor of the home isn’t too far out of the ground, this can easily be accomplished and once it is landscaped properly, it is hardly noticeably that there are not any steps.
  6. Replace the door hardware from turn knobs to lever handles to make them easier to use.
  7. Add lighting to improve the ability to see in the home. A dark space can be really challenging to maneuver with mature eyes.
  8. Adjust light switches and outlets so they are within reach of a wheelchair.
  9. In the kitchen, textured flooring should be installed to reduce the risk of falls when the floor is wet. It is also important to have countertops that contrast with the floors, the difference in colors makes the workspaces much easier to see. A refrigerator with a freezer at the bottom also improves access within the space.
  10. In the bathroom, it is essential to allow for grab bars at the toilet and in the shower, a taller toilet, a curb-less shower, along with textured flooring.

I hope these tips provide helpful insight for how you or your parents can transform spaces within your home to align with the changing lifestyle of aging in place. So you can enjoy your home sweet home for many, many years ahead.