The concept of “aging in place” is not new, but it is one that many people are paying attention to. It’s probably no surprise that 90% of respondents in an AARP survey want to stay in their age-in-place home as long as possible — well into their golden years. To help make that happen, there are some must-have age-in-place home features to consider for your future. Let’s take a closer look at the idea.
Common Barriers to Aging In Place
The challenges that many people face for aging in place often come down to mobility, including:
- Difficulty walking, especially up and down the stairs
- Inability to stand up from a chair, couch or bed
- Arthritis or other joint issues that affect grip
- Difficulty reaching up into cupboards or cabinets
- Loss of strength and muscle
These challenges have a significant impact on day-to-day activities. Limited mobility increases the risk of a serious fall or other injury as well. Fortunately, there are some home age-in-place home features that can help out.
Age-In-Place Home Features
The right features in your home can help you delay the need to move into assisted living or may even prevent it entirely. When you’re ready to downsize, it’s better to buy a new home with these features from the start rather than investing in a significant home remodeling project later.
Even if you don’t have mobility concerns now, consider these age-in-place home features for the future.
1. Personal Elevator
A personal elevator allows you to live in a multi-level home rather than a single-level home. You can maintain the privacy of having your entertaining space separate from your living levels and still get up and down floors with ease. An in-home elevator makes it easy to bring in groceries, take luggage downstairs, or keep the grandbaby asleep in his stroller when he visits.
Craftmark Homes offers personal elevators as an included feature in communities such as Crown and The Village at Cabin Branch. Adding an elevator would be an expensive upgrade for an existing home, but including it from the start is easier and more cost-effective.
2. Spacious Bathrooms
Falls are a serious risk as you get older. About one in five falls leads to a serious injury, and three million people over age 65 are treated in ERs each year for a fall. The bathroom is a common place for falls because of slippery tile, wet floors and other hazards.
A spacious bathroom gives you more room to move around comfortably. It can also ensure that if you do fall, the surfaces that might cause injury — sinks, bathtubs, countertops — are farther away so you may be able to avoid hitting your head.
Bonus tip for your bathroom: Getting in and out of the bathtub and standing in the shower are two of the most common fall risks for seniors. A built-in bench provides a place to sit steadily. And including a zero-entry, roll-in shower creates fewer trip hazards and will let you accommodate a wheelchair if needed. You can find both of these features in Craftmark’s home designs.
3. Living-Level Laundry Room
Laundry is essential, but many home designs have this room tucked away in the basement. Having a laundry room on the same floor as your master bedroom makes it easy to do laundry without carrying heavy baskets of clothes up and down the stairs or even worrying about getting it all together for the back and forth elevator ride. It’s all about your well-being but also about convenience.
4. Ground-Floor Entry
Stairs to your front door can be difficult to navigate as you get older. If you ever use a walker or a wheelchair, you will eventually need to add a ramp. Ground-level entry allows you to avoid the stairs entirely. Craftmark Homes offers multiple models with this feature in our communities at Crown and The Village at Cabin Branch.
At Craftmark Homes, we want to make aging in place a possibility for anyone who wants to stay in their own home. Find out more about our convenient age-in-place home features and find your new active adult home today.