Building the right retirement home involves considering your long-term physical needs and financial resources. You should consider what will work for you in the future considering you will gradually age as time goes by. For example, you might need a bathroom with grab bars, a comfortable height toilet or non-slip flooring just to mention a few. You will need a house with features that make it easy for you to perform day-to-day activities. Downsizing can also be an added advantage as it brings you closer to many amenities in the house. Notably, custom home plan modifications to help someone continue living independently in their home as they get older is called aging-in-place-design.
Here are some home features to consider for aging-in-place retirees:
Entrance Without Steps An entryway without steps can make life easier for retirees. It facilitates an easy entrance or exit. You are able to come and go as you please without any complications. You can comfortably use a mobility device like a wheelchair or a walker with much ease. Retrieving packages or carrying them out becomes easily achievable. Additionally, having no steps also minimizes the risk of injury. Trips and falls can lead to hospitalization but with no steps, the risk of this happening reduces exponentially.
Non-slip Floors Non-slip floors like low pile carpet and slip-resistant vinyl can minimize the risk of falling. Quite a few injuries among older people have been linked to falls caused by slippery floors.
Wide Hallways A wide hallway is considered to be at least 4 feet wide. A wide hallway will allow a person with a mobility device to access various parts of the house. It makes getting from one point to another very easy. Additionally, travel space in the house is very essential especially if one is in a wheelchair.
Good Lighting Good lighting is important because it will ensure a safe environment. It will prevent bad falls because visibility will be improved. Provide sufficient lighting to important areas like the kitchen, especially the cooking area, bathrooms, and other areas that are prone to accidents around the house.
Accessibility A laundry room off the master bedroom is also a great option when considering aging-in-place. Not only does this eliminate the inconvenience of having to run up or down stairs to do laundry but is helpful in cases where future lack of mobility might limit accessibility to a lower or upper level of the home.
To sum up, there are many ways to design a home to make living conditions for seniors easier. At North Twin Builders, we are here to help you design and build your dream retirement home. We can customize a house plan that puts all home features for retirees into consideration to meet your specific needs.
