What makes a home a suitable place to grow old in or an accessible place for people with disabilities? I’ll describe what ageless design is and how it can help senior citizens stay in their homes longer. I must admit that many "55+" home neighborhoods are not always truly "age in place" with certain design features lacking!
What is Ageless Design?
Ageless design is more than just having a ranch or first floor bedroom (although that helps). In the past, builders have not taken into account age-related conditions such as reduced mobility or limited range of reach in most homes. Now, people are starting to realize that ageless design should be considered by anyone building or remodeling a house.
Financial Benefits:
When building a new space, an additional 5% upfront cost could mean a 35-40% savings per item if you don’t have to retrofit it later. Wider door frames, easy walk-in shower stalls and re-configured entrances are costly retrofits, but they only require a little extra planning and effort to accomplish during the original design period.
What Makes a Home Ageless?
For financial reasons, we wish that our roofs would never age or that our appliances would never break, but that’s not the meaning of an ageless home. As a member of the CARE Council, I’ve learned about features that are adaptable and allow access and safety. Here’s a brief summary:.
What is Ageless Design?
Ageless design is more than just having a ranch or first floor bedroom (although that helps). In the past, builders have not taken into account age-related conditions such as reduced mobility or limited range of reach in most homes. Now, people are starting to realize that ageless design should be considered by anyone building or remodeling a house.
Financial Benefits:
When building a new space, an additional 5% upfront cost could mean a 35-40% savings per item if you don’t have to retrofit it later. Wider door frames, easy walk-in shower stalls and re-configured entrances are costly retrofits, but they only require a little extra planning and effort to accomplish during the original design period.
What Makes a Home Ageless?
For financial reasons, we wish that our roofs would never age or that our appliances would never break, but that’s not the meaning of an ageless home. As a member of the CARE Council, I’ve learned about features that are adaptable and allow access and safety. Here’s a brief summary:.
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You can view a more detailed list online.
The Choice: Remodel or Move Out?
The home environment can often make daily activities difficult for seniors. If your home or your parents’ home is not an ageless design, should you remodel or move into a new home or senior facility? If independent living is still an option, remodeling might be an option.
John Sperath from Blue Ribbon Residential Construction, Inc. says: "Considering assisted living (costs versus) the cost savings, if someone were to remodel a master bathroom for $40-$50K and add a barrier free shower, they get the benefit of a safer bathroom–plus it is a major boost to re-sale. If there are accessible features in a home it makes it more sell-able and will continue to improve sell ability for the foreseeable future."
The bottom line? Be proactive when designing a house. Each situation is unique but, if you’re starting to think about this, I hope this information helps you get started