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Is Your Home Ready For You To Successfully Age In Place?
What does it mean to “age in place?” The United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention defines aging in place as, “the ability to live in one’s own home and community safely, independently, and comfortably, regardless of age, income or ability level.”
Ultimately, your home should adapt to you, and not the other way around because everyone deserves a comfortable, easy living experience. Understanding how to make your home successful for aging in place can guide you on how to make your space easier to live in and allow you to continue to pursue independent living in a happy and healthy environment.
Most houses in the US have been designed for able bodied adults and don’t take into account the needs and best practices for all residents. One alternative to ensure easy aging in place is to explore a new home like Arden 55+ Living communities, where homes and amenities are designed to be accessible for all.
In this blog post, we will be exploring a variety of options for you to reflect and assess whether your current home is up to the task to age with you so that you can focus on living life to the fullest and exploring the possibility of what’s to come. We’ll help you determine if your home needs modifications for easier living, or if it will be the time to consider a new alternative housing option for the next chapter.
And if you want to read the 36 page guide created by the AARP on how to make your home a great fit for people of all ages, please visit AARP.org to download the free guide.
Ease of Movement
A home where you never have to worry about stairs again works best for aging in place.
Do you have any stairs at your current home? If you answered yes, these are some more questions you can ask to see how you can improve the ease of movement around your home:
Can you modify your stairs to better access your home and rooms?
Do they have a sturdy railing and are they well lit?
Are they carpeted for better grip?
Can an electric stair lift fit in case one is needed in the future?
With an emphasis on universal design and a person-centric lifestyle, Arden 55+ Living’s community provides two elevators in addition to stairs as well as wide door frames to allow for full accessibility.
Another important detail that can be easily overlooked is whether your home currently has door knobs or lever handles. Compared to doorknobs, lever handles allow an easier experience for those who have arthritic hands and trouble with grip strength.
If you don’t want to replace every single one of your doorknobs to future-proof your home, consider only adding lever handles to rooms that are used the most often, such as bathrooms and bedrooms. As a result, the flow of movement can be significantly improved and the overall mobility of residents can be ensured regardless of age, disability, or other factors.
Not only does ease of access within your home simplify daily tasks by reducing barriers to use, it creates less stress and more opportunities to pursue fun and explore what opportunities are out there for you. Going out with friends and discovering new experiences both within and beyond your community become more effortless when leaving and coming back inside your home is made easier through integrated inclusive design.
Accessibility Friendly Bathroom
As one of the most frequently used rooms of the home, the bathroom should be easy on the eyes and have high priority for being easy on the accessibility front as well.
Do you have access to a walk in shower? Bathtubs could become safety hazards due to slipping and getting stuck in the tub, so it’s best to have a walk-in shower to ensure easy mobility in and out of the shower.
Adding grab bars in the shower can also prevent falls and provide another layer of support. However, please note that correct installation of grab bars is imperative and that suction cup grab bars will not meet the safety regulations for weight bearing strength.
Meanwhile, toilets should also be made accessible by adding raised seats or opting for comfort height toilets that make it easier to sit and stand as opposed to standard height toilets that are not ADA compliant.
Arden 55+ realizes that spaces should be designed with residents in mind, so that’s why our communities have been designed to be accessibility friendly all throughout, including bathrooms with walk-in showers, comfort height toilets, and lever-style faucet handles for ease of use.
Open Floor Plans Without Obstructions
Remember that your home should adapt to you, and not the other way around. For Arden communities, this translates to open floor plans with oversized door frames that maximize personal comfort and allow movement to flow from one room to the next.
Arden floor plans also highlight easy trash disposal and front loading washer & dryers in most apartment homes. This is because household chores like garbage disposal shouldn’t be hindered by any obstacles (uneven roads, stairs, inclement weather, etc.) or obstructions in your home.
Weekly laundry also shouldn’t be complicated by non-front loading washer & dryers because people of all mobility and height should be able to easily move laundry in and out of units. Moreover, having the benefit of a laundry space being on the same floor as your bedroom creates a more comfortable and accessible route when doing your laundry.
When you think of open floor plans without obstructions, it can also be easy to overlook the floor itself. Having no-trip flooring all throughout your home can greatly increase your peace of mind as well as mobility within your home. If you have wall to wall carpet in your current home, it’s important to avoid placing scatter rugs to prevent trip hazards and make sure your home’s carpet pile height is short enough for easy movement.
Ample Lighting
Whether it’s the interior of your home or the exterior spaces, ample lighting should be installed to aid mobility when the sun goes down and the night settles in.
In your home, this could be lighting inside closets so that reaching for clothes and other items is made easier. One more area in your home that would benefit from ample lighting are hallways since they tend to be well lit during the day from other rooms, but become hard to see in if you need to get from one room to another at nightime.
Even consider the location of the actual light switch – are they by the doors and are they at an optimal height that allows easy reach for everyone?
Another question to ask is whether or not you have ample lighting to your entryway. Outside your home, ample lighting could be lighting outside your front door and pathways that are well lit, for everyone’s ease of navigation.
Engagement in Active Living
While you should find comfort in “aging in place,” that doesn’t necessarily mean you should stay in one place all the time – quite the opposite really. All people should have access, regardless of ability, to join in the fun that the world has to offer.
Do you have no-step entry to your amenity spaces? Are there covered entries that protect you during inclement weather? Are your entries clear, wide, and free of tripping hazards? These are just some of the standard features at Arden to ensure inclusivity.
Integrating active living principles of daily movement and vibrant social connections allows life to flourish as you age. It’s important to have a space to be physically active through daily movements and enrich your mind through meaningful social connections to protect you from many age-related physical and mental changes.
By combining accessible spaces and opportunities for resident-driven experiences, Arden 55+ fully embodies the philosophy of active living for the young at heart. Residents have access to over 8,000 square feet of versatile amenity spaces that promote community engagement and a program-enriched lifestyle.
Access to Reliable Maintenance Services
The value of investing in aging in place can extend further than inclusive designs in the interior and exterior of your home.
Whether it’s being able to call for a maintenance team to promptly repair something in your home or having the convenience of fresh meals delivered right to your door, services like these help lay the groundwork for happier and healthier experiences while aging in place.
As an Arden 55+ resident, you can enjoy maintenance-free living while focusing on pursuing new adventures and fostering close-knit relationships to continue to appreciate this new chapter of your life. And if you’re interested in trying healthy and accessible meal delivery services, check out our recently posted guide here.
Arden’s Person Centric 55+ Communities
At Arden, We Build Well to Live Well because we enhance our residents’ lives by thoughtfully designing and creating fully accessible spaces for social connection, access to healthier lifestyles, and a maintenance free environment.
With access to ample shared amenities and a community that inspires you to stay young, Arden is where living starts. If you are interested in joining our community, please fill out our contact form here for more information and our friendly team will reach out to you shortly!