Aging in place and remaining at home is considered essential to most senior citizens, even before the time comes where they might be faced with that decision. You can be proactive about making this into a reality by making your home more accessible. Being prepared for the fact that your mobility won’t always stay the same is a great way to feel safer in the years ahead.
When should you consider making some of these modifications? This is something many elderly people struggle with. Modifying their home feels like a huge undertaking that may not be completely necessary. Here are a few suggestions for deciding when the time is right to transform your home into a more accessible space.
Plan early so you can budget
Most people know well in advance that they don’t plan to leave their home for an assisted living facility. If you are one of these people, you should start to make preparations to modify your home well in advance. Some people even start making changes two decades before they are really likely to need them.
By planning early, you can break the task into far more manageable chunks. This is less stressful to you from a planning perspective, but it also makes it easier on your wallet. You can space out the sometimes-expensive renovations that are necessary to make your home easier to navigate as you age.
You can make plans for safety first
It might not be time to modify your home for a wheelchair or a walker just yet. Instead, you can focus on general safety modifications that could benefit you even now. Consider installing slip-resistant flooring in wet areas, grab bars in the shower, and easy-open cabinets. All of these changes will feel less like you’re modifying for old age and more like you’re interested in improving your home in the present. These are changes that tend to be less expensive and can make a great difference in the functioning of your home immediately.
Consider your age
By the time you reach the age of 65, most people have several concurrent medical conditions. These conditions could seriously limit your mobility and ability to live in your home safely as it currently stands. If you haven’t already started making some of these modifications, you should really consider your age before you continue to put off the inevitable. As you get closer to retirement age or age 65, you should really begin making some of these changes to help you develop a long-term plan for your care.
At Partners for Home, we know that staying in your house as you age is essential to maintaining your preferences and privacy. That’s why we offer trustful home care services to help bridge the gap between your current accessibility and where you would like to be. By making your home more accessible and enlisting the help of a professional care team, you’ll be able to make aging in place a reality.
