Aging in place is the dream of many senior citizens as they reach retirement. Living at home rather than at a health care environment can provide a great deal of comfort as they experience life changes that come with aging.
A companion caregiver can be beneficial to your aging loved ones if they choose to live at home. To make living at home a viable option, however, choose a home or remodel the home with universal design in mind. Universe design is the concept that a wide variety of people can use the features of a home. Some of the tenets of universal design include equitable use, flexibility in use, simple and intuitive use, tolerance for error, size & space is approachable and low chance of physical error. An interior designer or architect that specializes in elder-friendly design can give you some ideas on how to achieve this.
Some of the things that would be ideal for aging at home include a no step entry, a single floor living plan, wide doorways and halls, reachable controls and switches, and easy to use handles and switches. Also front loading appliances, a side by side refrigerator, a shower stall with built in benches, easy to open windows, a covered entryway, appropriate task lighting, and easy to grasp cabinet pulls can provide a safe home and easy to use home for all people no matter their age or capabilities.
Designing a house that can be lived in forever decreases the stress of aging for families because your aging loved one knows that they can be in their home, where they have lived and loved for so many years. It decreases the expense of having to pay for a care center, eliminates the stress of moving, and provides a safe haven in the face of uncertainty for senior citizens. If at-home-care is what your family is striving for, then remodeling or buying a house with universal design concepts in mind can make it a possibility.
Recent Comments