Home Modification For Ageing Parents
Whether your ageing parents are choosing to remain independent in the comfort of their own home or are planning to combine lifestyles with you and your family, it’s important to think about the safety and comfort as you prepare the home modification process.
Modifying a home to meet the needs of your parent will greatly depend on what types of challenges they are facing. Our team has compiled a helpful list of home modification tips that they have seen through experience that will help you as you begin the first steps.
Here a few home modifications that are proven to increase safety and overall life for your loved one:
- Have kitchen countertops positioned at a variety of levels so work can be done both standing or sitting.
- If possible, increase doorways to 36 inches wide, making it easier to move from room to room.
- Install lever door handles to make opening doors less of a hassle and rocker light switches to make turning on lights easier.
- Replace cabinet door and drawer handles with C- or D-shapes.
- Put grab bars in the bathroom to decrease the possibility of falls. (These bars can even be disguised as towel racks to make them less noticeable.)
- Place a built-in seat in the shower to eliminate the worry of standing on wet, slippery surfaces.
- Make staircases wide enough and straight enough to handle a stair lift, or stackable closets that can be converted to an elevator, if the condo isn’t all on one floor.
Don’t let these suggestions overwhelm you! Here are a few tips to help make the transition easier:
Start with the bathrooms! This is, unfortunately, where most falls occur. Some of the ideas are pretty easy to do, such as replacing old doorknobs with lever door handles and installing a built-in seat in the shower.
Do you only have access to a tub instead of a walk-in shower? Consider purchasing a bath chair that is wide enough to be placed both in the tub and on the bathroom floor. Your parent can sit on it, and, with your help, can swing their legs over the edge instead of trying to step over the side of the tub!
Need some extra help? Alma Health offers home risk assessments and also coordinates home modification assistance. Contact us today for more information! Start the process for your loved one and make their home-life more enjoyable and productive again.
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[post_content] => Whether your ageing parents are choosing to remain independent in the comfort of their own home or are planning to combine lifestyles with you and your family, it's important to think about the safety and comfort as you prepare the home modification process.
Modifying a home to meet the needs of your parent will greatly depend on what types of challenges they are facing. Our team has compiled a helpful list of home modification tips that they have seen through experience that will help you as you begin the first steps.
Here a few home modifications that are proven to increase safety and overall life for your loved one:
- Have kitchen countertops positioned at a variety of levels so work can be done both standing or sitting.
- If possible, increase doorways to 36 inches wide, making it easier to move from room to room.
- Install lever door handles to make opening doors less of a hassle and rocker light switches to make turning on lights easier.
- Replace cabinet door and drawer handles with C- or D-shapes.
- Put grab bars in the bathroom to decrease the possibility of falls. (These bars can even be disguised as towel racks to make them less noticeable.)
- Place a built-in seat in the shower to eliminate the worry of standing on wet, slippery surfaces.
- Make staircases wide enough and straight enough to handle a stair lift, or stackable closets that can be converted to an elevator, if the condo isn't all on one floor.