Submitted by DJ’s Painting and Remodeling
Home modifications are changes made to adapt living spaces to meet the needs of older adults so that they can continue to live independently and safely. These modifications may include adding assistive technology or making structural changes to a home. Modifications can range from something as simple as replacing cabinet doorknobs with pull handles to full-scale construction projects that require installing wheelchair ramps and widening doorways.
The main benefit of making home modifications is that they promote independence and prevent accidents. According to a recent AARP housing survey, “83 percent of older Americans want to stay in their current homes for the rest of their lives,” but other studies show that most homes are not designed to accommodate the needs of people over age 65. Most older people live in homes that are more than 20 years old. As these buildings get older along with their residents, they may become harder to live in or maintain. A house that was perfectly suitable for a senior at age 55, for example, may have too many stairs or slippery surfaces for a person who is 70 or 80.
Home modifications should improve the following features of a home:
- Accessibility. Improving accessibility means making doorways wider, clearing spaces to make sure a wheelchair can pass through, lowering countertop heights for sinks and kitchen cabinets, installing grab bars, and placing light switches and electrical outlets at heights that can be reached easily.
- Adaptability. Adaptability features are changes that can be made quickly to accommodate the needs of seniors or disabled individuals without having to completely redesign the home or use different materials for essential fixtures. Examples include installing grab bars in bathroom walls and movable cabinets under the sink so that someone in a wheelchair can use the space.
- Universal Design. Universal design features are usually built into a home when the first blueprints or architectural plans are drawn. These features include appliances, fixtures, and floor plans that are easy for all people to use, flexible enough so that they can be adapted for special needs, sturdy and reliable, and functional with a minimum of effort and understanding of the mechanisms involved.
Before you make home modifications, you should evaluate your current and future needs by going through your home room by room and answering a series of questions to highlight where changes might be made. Several checklists are available to help you conduct this review. The National Resource Center on Supportive Housing and Home Modifications is a good place to start. Go to the center’s website at www.homemods.org and click on the link to the “Safety Checklist and Assessment Instrument.”
Once you have explored all the areas of your home that could benefit from remodeling, you might make a list of potential problems and possible solutions. When you are ready to get started, there are a few considerations to keep in mind.
- Find the right contractor: Aging-in-place remodeling is no easy task and not all contractors are experienced in the unique needs of renovating for the purpose of aging in place. Choose an established local contractor and ask people you know for recommendations.
- Prioritize your projects: Updating a bathroom may likely be the first project to tackle. The majority of falls happen in the bathroom. Don’t forget to take care of small things like adding smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
- Think outside the box: While its best to have a bedroom and bath on the first floor, that may be too expensive if you have a two-story home. Talk with your contractor and see if they might be able to suggest more affordable alternatives.
- Evaluate the cost of staying in your current home. Renovating your current home will almost always be less expensive than moving into an assisted living facility. Perhaps it makes more sense to downsize to a different home that can more easily be modified to meet your needs.
For more information about any home remodeling project, contact DJ’s Painting and Remodeling at 309-452-9643 or online at
www.djspainting.com. They are located at 1502 E. Jackson and have the expertise to advise you on the home solutions that will fit
your needs.