Top Five Home Modifications for Seniors to Age in Place

Transcript

Hey there. You want to stay in your own home as long as possible while you age? You know, it's totally doable. Just set yourself up with your house so it's completely safe, it's comfortable, and keeps you independent. Right. Today, I'm going to go through the five most important modifications you can make in your home so you can not just be safe, comfortable, and independent, but it actually is enjoyable. Stick around. Hey there, I'm Mitch Schwarz with Keller Williams Realy, the senior focus real estate agent in Las Vegas, Nevada. You know, for a lot of my clients, moving to an assisted living is not their goal. As a matter of fact, what it their goal really is is to age in place in a home that they love, a neighborhood that they love with neighbors that they're familiar with, and lots of memories. But the truth is, most houses are not set up to age in place. But guess what's cool? With a few modifications, some major, some minor, some small, some big, whichever you want to call it, that you can make that space that you love so much more safe, accessible, and convenient so you could live there for years to come. Today, I'm going to break down the top five modifications that you can make in your house so you can age in place much longer. Here's the number one thing I think you should do, cuz the deal is this. Bathrooms are probably the place where most people slip and fall and hurt themselves. There's lots of edges. There's lots of things that could happen. And these falls take place pretty consistently for people. So, here's what you could do. First thing I would recommend is you remodel your bathroom. Meaning, take out the tub. Take out the lip on the edge of the shower. Make them completely flat so you can walk in. Right? Then get yourself a handheld shower wand. Make sure you have a bench in there. Maybe it's a a bench that you can build in if you're remodeling completely or you can buy a portable one. The other thing you want to do is you want to put non-slip floor mats in there. And the last but not least, I think grab bars are important. That's just around the commode. I think in and around the shower is probably a good idea as well. But these are things that you could do and they're relatively simple and they would make your life a lot safer in the bathroom. Here's number two. I think better lighting everywhere makes a big difference. You know, as we age, our eyes need a little bit more light to see properly. So, one of the things you could do is just replace all your lighting throughout the house with LED lights. First off, they last longer and they can give off different hues and brightness to make it better for you. Secondly, I would change my switches from manual to automatic. So, when you walk into a room, it flips on a light and you're good to go. and you don't have to worry about where's the light switch or what have you, right? I would do that. The other thing I would think about is changing the way your structure is set up with your lighting so you actually have under counter and inc cabinet lighting. Many people actually bending over to get something out of a cabinet fall um pretty easily. A well-lit home with lots of clutter and stuff actually reduces the risk of falling and hitting one's head. Um, and it it also makes the space feel a lot warmer um and much more inviting. So, if you're going to have people over, that's a good idea, too, right? So, definitely check the lighting. Number three would be zero step entry and doorways. Every doorway's got a lip. every doorway at the front and the back of the house. Um, sometimes in bedrooms and stuff has a many times they have a lip and this can be a challenge especially as we get older cuz the way we move is not as easy as it was before, right? So, one of the things I recommend that you do is you get ramps. Now, you can have them completely installed and and built into the house or you can go online. Amazon actually has steps that you can buy that are kits that you just assemble them and put them in place. I did this for my house with my own mom right throughout my house where you have ramps to make it easier for her. I would also consider widening the doorways and changing the level of the uh space so when you walk in there's not the big lip. And then I'd widen like I said the doorway probably at least 32 in. Make it a little bit bigger so if there's a walker, a cane, or even a wheelchair you can get in, right? Any of the mobility aids would help you with that. And then the other thing is is lever handles. lever handles on all the doors these days is mostly ADA compliant, but many houses still have knobs. And most of my clients, if they have a little bit of arthritis, have a hard time turning that, but a handle pretty good. Now, just one of those modifications would help you out, but they're relatively simple, and I would recommend that you do as many of them as you can. Right. The next room I'd be concerned about is the kitchen. I think the kitchen is another room where accessibility really matters. I want you to consider this. First off, consider um in many cabinets, they're built with like little side grooves in the door to open them up. Well, a lot of my clients again with arthritis have a hard time with that. Handles are a real simple fix, right? That make things a lot easier. I would consider if you get that done maybe down the road, you may want to consider if you're doing it now, maybe some pull down shelves. They actually make shelves that will actually drop lower so you don't have to reach up and stretch and hurt yourself. You can actually pull them down, right? And then I would also consider maybe like um side opening ovens, something where you don't have to worry about reaching over a hot oven door. Believe it or not, they make them so they actually open on the side and you can get to them much easier. And then think about the height of the counter. As we get older, our we actually shrink. And a lot of my clients have discovered that by actually reducing the height of the counters, it makes their life a lot easier, cooking, prepping, and everything so much better for them. Just these small little tweaks could probably make your kitchen a lot safer. And again, brighter lighting, all the handles, those kinds of things could make your life a lot better and give you the chance to age much longer in place. Right now, here's one, and you're going to go, "What?" Smartome technology. Technology can be really your friend when it comes to aging in place. And what I mean by that is there's little upgrades you can do. So, you can have smart doorbells with video, like a Ring. I have that at my house. I love it. Um, and that way you can answer from wherever you happen to be. And as a matter of fact, you can answer from your phone while you're at the store so somebody still thinks you're there. So if there if you're concerned about people coming when you're not around, you want them to give the impression that you're there, you can do that, right? Then I would also think about voice activated assistance. Things like uh Alexa or Google can help you control lights and thermostats and even call a friend if necessary, right? That was something I do. And then the other thing, and I have my mom, even in my house, I ask her to wear a medical alert device. That way, in case she falls, it will call me. It doesn't matter where I am, if she falls, the systems designed to call me and then I call an emergency or check on her. These tools, just those few technology tools, can make your life a lot easier. And I can assure you, if you're um a senior listening to this, it'll make your adult children feel happier, that you're safer and more comfortable. And if you're an adult child, these are things you definitely want to consider. Especially if your folks are alone and living on their in their own home, you can set things up in such a way that you can check on them pretty easily and have a have a rapport back and forth electronically so you make sure that they're taken care of and there's no, I guess, concern, right? I'm always worried about my mom falling. Here's the thing. Aging in place isn't just about staying in your home. It's about staying in your home safely, comfortably, and remaining independent. Now, I know it sounds odd, right? I'm a real estate guy. I make money by selling houses. Why would I be telling you how to stay in your house and not sell? Why? Because I really care about the seniors in my community and not everybody needs to sell. Whether or not you start with these some of these simple fixes like grab bars and better lighting, reducing the flooring stuff, or you decide to go to the bigger things like um widening the doors or changing out the bathroom or the cabinets, I want you to just think about these being an investment for your future and your ability to stay longer in your home. Right now, if you're thinking about modifying your home, I believe it or not, I'm a certified aging and place specialist from the um National Home Builders Association. I can actually come over there and point some things out for you that you might be able to do and give you a report. I also work very closely with a another friend who is a CAP certified professional. She's not a real estate agent. We work together. We help people figure this stuff out. But here's the other thing. Maybe you live in a big two-story house and there's nothing you can do and you're thinking modification or move, modification or move. Well, there's lots of ways to to look at this and I'm happy to consult with you and give you some food for thought. The other thing to consider is there's options to pay for some of these things. Maybe your house is free and clear. Maybe you don't like having payments, but maybe a reverse mortgage might be a good idea. You don't have to take a chunk of money out. you could take just enough out to pay for this and you can stay in your house without payments. What I'm asking you to do is if you're thinking about anything at all, I would ask that you reach out to me for a no obligation at all consultation, you can call me directly on my cell phone, 702303004, right? Or you can in the description there's a link there that you can click on that will allow you to schedule a 15minute no obligation phone call with me. It'll show up on my schedule. It'll show up on your schedule. I will call you in the time that you pick. Right? That way, we can have a conversation and see what works best for you. Thanks for watching my videos. Here's to living well, aging smart, wherever you happen to be.