While there is the option for people to live in assisted living facilities when they get old, many people find that they want to try to stay in their own home for as long as possible. But in order for this to happen, you’ve got to ensure that your home is suited for you and the changes to your mind and body. And to be best prepared for this, you’ll want to make these changes and design elements well before they are needed.
If you’re ready to start doing this within your own home, here are three tips for designing a home for you to age-in-place.
Consider Accessibility
One of the most important things that you’ll need to consider when designing your home so that you can age-in-place is accessibility. If you can’t easily move around your home as your mobility changes, it’s going to be very hard for you to stay in this home.
As far as mobility goes, you should try to design your space so that you could get around with a walker or wheelchair if the need arises. You may also want to consider how well you’ll be able to get to the places you need outside of your home from where you live, which may necessitate looking for a new home that you can age-in-place in.
Opt For Only One Level
Something that can make aging-in-place very challenging is if you have to use stairs at any point in the home. Even just a step up to a different room can be hard for many elderly people to manage.
If you’re able to, try to live in a home that has only one level. And if you’re dealing with steps or stairs at all, consider eliminating them if you can. This can be done by adding ramps, changing up the flooring, and other options.
Choose The Right Fixtures
For many elderly people, it can become increasingly difficult to do things around the house that require a lot of dexterity as they get older. This can include things like turning door knobs, using light switches, and more. Knowing this, you should try to include the right fixtures in your home now so that you don’t have to worry about these things as you get older.
By installing dimmer switches on your lights and levers for your doors rather than knobs, you’ll be able to easily use these fixtures both now and in the future. You may need to make additional fixture changes based on your own likelihood of having physical issues with things, like installing more lights or changing out your windows to ones that are easier to open.
Aging-in-place can be done if you have the right home to do it in. So to help you get to this point, consider using the tips mentioned above to show you what design changes may need to be done in your space.
