Home Safe Home
As your family members or loved ones age, so do their homes. It is good practice to step back occasionally and examine the homes to see how well the living arrangement supports your loved ones’ daily needs and activities. There are many steps you can take to ensure that your family members stay safe and comfortable in their homes. Often these changes can be made with little or no cost, while they also make homes more user-friendly and welcoming.Nearly 90 percent of older Americans want to stay in their current homes as they age. By taking small-but-practical steps, you can transform your loved ones’ "home sweet home" into "home safe home."
No-Cost Changes
While all of the above can be done without spending money, you might find some changes are hard for your loved one to accept. For instance, Mom may like her scatter and throw rugs because they add color to her rooms. It's important that you explain to her why you are suggesting removing these trip hazards. Tell her you want her to consider the change because you're worried about her falling and seriously hurting herself. Be creative in how you approach the conversation—perhaps suggest that she could move the rug from the floor to the wall or add throw pillows on a chair or sofa to add color without safety risk!
Low-Cost Changes
As you make these no-cost changes, I suggest you look around your parents' house to see whether or not you could take additional steps to ensure the safest possible home. Here are some low-cost changes that run between $35 and $75 and will make a home even safer:You can find low-cost tools and products at your local hardware or home improvement store. It's important that you or a contractor properly install all the updates, so find a reputable handyman to help you if you need assistance. It might be hard for your loved one to consider certain features, such as the installation of grab-bars in the bathroom. "I don't want those things," Mom might say. "It'll look like a hospital room." This is the time to speak from your heart. Use "I" statements. Tell her you worry about her and you want her to be safe in her home. Add that grab-bars come in a range of colors and finishes that can match the decorating scheme of any bathroom. Tell her the days of "institutional-looking grab-bars" are long gone. Go with her to the store to look at what's now on the market. In addition to the changes listed above, always remember to have a properly rated fire extinguisher in the kitchen area, and fire and carbon monoxide detectors on all floors of each house.
Extensive Changes
Since your loved ones likely want to live at home as long as possible, consider more extensive changes to the home so that it will be sure to meet loved ones' daily living needs. Design features such as multi-level countertops and pull-out drawers in the kitchen provide easy access to pots and pans. No-step entries to the home may cost more, but they can make homes safer and more comfortable for everyone.AARP and the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) have collaborated to help develop a certification program for remodelers, builders, and developers who focus on the connections between home design and the needs of aging people. The Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS) program teaches building professionals about the changing needs of people as they age. The curriculum also explores a range of products and building techniques that can be employed to remodel a home better support aging in place. There are currently more than 1,700 certified professionals in the United States. AARP and NAHB also sponsor an annual "Livable Communities Award," in which remodelers, builders, and developers are recognized for excellence in a variety of categories.
Growing Consumer Interest
Realtors, interior designers, and architects have discovered that consumers are starting to show more interest in features and products that promote successful aging in place. People are also realizing that when homes are designed and constructed with these features, the homes' value increases. In Georgia, an "Easy Living Home" designation has been developed. It focuses on three key features of home design; All new homes constructed using the Easy Living Home approach have:The proponents of the livable approach contend that their homes are "easy to build, easy to visit, and easy to sell." Across the country, builders, developers, and realtors are replicating elements of what's called "universal design"—basically, design informed by features that provide comfort, safety, and the ability to age in place. There is also growing consumer interest in aging in place and the type of home required for it.
Home Safe Home
No home can be "sweet" if it isn't "safe." The types of home features and fix-it's described in this column make homes easier to use, which increases the independence of residents and makes care giving easier. As I've described, there are a range of changes that families can consider to keep loved ones safe and comfortable.I hope that these ideas prompt you to evaluate your loved ones' homes and to make the kinds of changes that you deem necessary and beneficial. And be sure to enter AARP's "Recession Remodel" Room Makeover Contest in which we'll update one kitchen and one bathroom for two winners. We will also implement some of the easier, less expensive improvements, which can increase comfort and safety for everyone.
By: Elinor Ginzler | Source: AARP.org | May 2009
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