Top Aging-in-Place Home Renovation Tips

As we get older, we notice that we have some difficulty getting around. Joints become achy and we move slower than we had in our youth. Eventually, our older relatives and ourselves may experience mobility issues. Our homes can be renovated to improve accessibility and safety in a variety of ways.  

I have designed and remodeled a number of homes for people in Northern Virginia who want to age-in-place, meaning that they want to maintain their independence by living at home during their golden years. Here are some tips to improve your home so you can age-in-place:

• Improve safety while entering the house. If you have steps leading up to your front door, you may want to add a handrail. A short 12”-18” grab bar mounted vertically to the latch side of the door improves safety for people with balance issues.
• Improve safety while in the bathroom. You can add grab bars close to the shower/tub entrances and adding a bench to the shower.
• Adding battery-operated motion activated LED stick-on lights can help improve visibility at night. The sensor is activated by motion, so this may be a good addition for the bedroom when someone wakes up in the middle of the night. These lights cost around $20 each and can be installed with double-sided tape.

If you are seeking more information about creating a home conducive to aging-in-place, many of these suggestions can be permanent additions to your home to achieve that aging-in-place goal. 

Click here for more tips on remodeling your home so you or your loved ones can maintain independence and age-in-place. For more information on this and other home improvements, please visit Northwood Construction's website.