Aging in Place: Audit Your Home for Accessibility and Safety

Most of us want to continue living in our current homes as we age. But one of the consequences of aging is being less agile. Being less agile means our risk of falling increases, and navigating our home can be more difficult. Just as new parents can “childproof” a home for children, as adults we can “adult-proof” our homes to make them safer and easier to move around.

Here are some simple things to think about as you review your current spaces and make improvements. If you go through this review and find that your home needs major changes to be up to code or fully navigable, then you may want to consider renovating areas of the home, moving to a new home that has what you need, or even building a home.

Ladder. If your house has stairs, and many do, it’s not a problem as long as you can climb them safely. Check them out now. Handrails should be installed on both sides of stairs. They should be grippable, meaning you can grab onto them to stabilize yourself going up and down. They must be strong and not loose. If you are going up or down and miss a step or lose your balance, is the rail strong enough to stop your fall if you grab it? One million injuries a year in the United States are caused by falls from ladders. It is not expensive to correct these things. Basement stairs, in particular, are to blame.

Toilets. Two hundred and fifty thousand people a year are injured in bathroom accidents. Most of these are getting in and out of the tub or shower. Go take a look now. Do you have many grab bars or railings in the bathroom? Just like ladders, installing various fall protection devices will go a long way in preventing injuries, and it’s not terribly expensive. Even if your bathroom has almost no safety devices, they can be easily installed. From railings and grab bars to toilet frames, local and online stores are full of options. A word of warning about Good Grip suction cup hand grips: You may see them advertised, if they lose the grip (suction) and you need it, they could be worse than nothing. One day I grabbed one and it came loose in my hand. I fell forward and was lucky to escape without getting hurt. I recommend that you permanently install bars into the wall making sure they attach to the wall studs. Architect Jerry Allan says, “In a bathtub or shower, you need three points of contact, so [that means] two grab bars within reach. I call it the mountaineer’s rule.”

Turning on. We have a tendency to get up in the middle of the night and navigate to the bathroom in the dark. This is fine until we trip over the slippers left in the hallway. At the same time, we don’t want to wake up too much (turn on the lights) because we want to go back to sleep. To solve this dilemma, plug in some night lights that show you the slippers or boxes lurking in the hallway, but don’t glare you.

Roads. We think of exterior paths that can cause tripping and balance problems, but interior paths are just as important. When I say pathways, I mean being able to walk around furniture, between rooms, and in and out of doors. As simple as it sounds, you’d be surprised how many “stuff” can get in the way. Now take a look at how navigable your home is and if there are any areas that you think could be cleaned or expanded.

Carpets. We don’t think much about rugs, but they can trip us up if we’re not careful. Whether they’re on wood, carpet, or tile and linoleum, that’s an extra quarter inch that can catch on the ball of your foot or shoe. And on wood and tile, rugs can slip if they don’t have a rubber backing. Take a look around you now and identify area rugs. Check that they are flat and that they do not slip.

Get help with renewals from professionals. The National Association of Home Builders created a program called Aging in Place Specialists (CAPS), which is a program for architects, interior designers, and contractors. The NAHB offers courses in design, communications, and business management; the purpose is to be able to advise homeowners on what they should do to stay safe and healthy in their homes. A checklist is available on their website: NAHB.org.

Building. If you’re building a home and expect to stay in it as long as possible, plan for safety from the start. Consider a single ground floor layout with easy access to the outdoors and garage. Have the clothes on the main floor. If you really want a second floor, consider putting in an elevator shaft in case you decide on an elevator later, or space for a motorized elevator on the stairs. Design easily accessible landscaped spaces, large fixed windows, a hobby room and a guest room. An open floor plan for the living room, kitchen, and dining room will make the main spaces look larger and more inviting. A small but comfortable house that is well insulated and well ventilated will be energy efficient and will not cost much to operate and maintain.

Plan for the future now. It will be here before you know it.