Seniors: Redesigning Your Home for Retirement
Raise Countertops
Stooping over low countertops to chop celery and marinate meat can be hard on the back. When redesigning your home for retirement, consider raising your countertops to a more comfortable level. You can do this by simply adding plywood after ripping up your current countertops, then either replacing the old tops or installing new. You can also raise kitchen sinks, window ledges and other things that might require you to stoop.
Widen Doorways
If you’re planning big remodeling projects, you can redesign your home for retirement to include wider doorways in case you or your spouse is ever in a wheelchair. Although this is quite expensive, it can save a lot of headache if the time ever comes when the changes are necessary. Typically, doorways that are at least 36 inches wide will accommodate most standard wheelchairs.
Install Tile or Hard Wood
For the same reasons listed in the previous tip, you might want to redesign your home for retirement to include ceramic tile or hardwood floors. It’s far easy to navigate smooth surfaces in a wheel chair or when using a walker or cane. In the meantime, you can soften the look (and the sound) with large area rugs until (and unless) you need a clear floor.
Change Doorknobs and Cabinet Knobs
When you’re redesigning your home for retirement, remember that it can be harder to grip things as you age. Installing lever-action doorknobs and cabinet knobs can make your life much easier, and this doesn’t cost much to fix. They are available in stainless steel, brass, pewter and any number of other materials to suit the overall atmosphere of your home.
Improve the Bathroom
One of the most difficult rooms for the elderly is the bathroom. You might want to raise the countertops and sinks, as mentioned above, but other problems also await. Non-slip mats for the tub or shower can help guard against a devastating fall, and grab bars on the sides of the tub can help stay steady while bathing. It is also a good idea to keep a non-slip mat in front of the tub for ease in getting in and out in retirement.
No one likes thinking about the aging process, especially when you’re ready to enjoy life in retirement. However, it is easier to make these adjustments when you are younger than when you actually need them, and none should affect the quality of your current life. If you’re uncomfortable, you can simply make preparations, such as reinforcing bathroom walls for grab bars, until you think it’s time.
