Very few homes support safe and peaceful aging. It is thus vital for every homeowner to invest in ways that can enable them to enjoy their homes across all life stages. Home experts advise against designing your home only to meet your current needs and requirements. On the contrary, you should keep in mind the future. In this article we outline some of the changes you may need to make in your home to make it suitable for your senior years. Successful aging in place requires adequate planning, as you will learn below.
Entrances
Entrances are the primary ways of getting in and out of your home. As you get older, you deserve easier access and exit into your home. It would be best to make the entrances friendly to your aging needs, especially when carrying groceries, walkers, and babies, among other things.
As years pass by, stairs become more challenging to use. The trick is eliminating them to ensure convenience for you and babies and other elderly guests. It would be best if you aimed for unlimited and effortless access into and out of your home. With the stairs gone, you enjoy the freedom to move around quickly in your senior years.
Bathrooms
Like everyone else, you derive great excitement from bathtubs and other fancy ways of washing your body. As you get older, you should make the bathroom safer and more secure. The first and most significant step is hiring the tub to shower conversion services. The latter enhances your safety by minimizing falls and allowing access to your elderly guests and wheelchair users.
It would help if you also designed your bathroom walls to accommodate handlebars. Moreover, the showers, sinks, and toilets should be accessible to users of all heights, ages, and mobility. With a door opening of at least 32 inches, you enjoy better access besides investing in a curb-free walk-in shower area.
Kitchen
Most homeowners invest heavily in renovating their kitchens across all stages of their lives. As you get older, the open-design kitchen with varied counter heights between 32 inches and 42 inches becomes your ideal option. The shorter kitchen counters are necessary for ensuring accessibility by people of all ages and abilities.
It would help if you also made the storage accessible besides using the open and pullout shelves. Additionally, a perfect blend of natural and artificial lighting is also necessary for convenience and safety. As you handle fire and hot stuff in the kitchen, the least you deserve is quality lighting with depreciating sight.
What to Do In case of an Accident at Home
Do not leave children unattended around a pool area, hot tub, or spa. Ensure that the fireplace screen is securely in place when using an indoor fireplace. Do not leave cooking unattended while using deep fat fryers or electric skillets.
Call 911 in any situation where the individual cannot get to the phone, or if it is after hours, call your local emergency number. Do not remove items that are stuck in someone’s mouth or throat.
If the accident was not your fault and you feel the need for justice, you may want to consider filing a lawsuit. The experts at the Law Offices of William Schwitzer & Associates have been helping clients recover from injuries for many years.
Ultimately always keep an eye on your kids at home, as even the simplest of accidents can lead to serious injury. Remember that prevention is vital and always take the necessary precautions to avoid accidents from happening in the first place.
As you grow older, you become more vulnerable to falls and other accidents. It is advisable to make your home more suitable to your requirements in all areas. Besides the kitchen, entrances, and bathroom, you should also invest in friendlier windows, doors, bedrooms, and yards. Be innovative in all ways that enhance your safety and quality of life in the home.
