Retrofitting the Home for Retirement Nursing homes and retirement centers are the right choice for some individuals and couples, but not for all. Some ageing couples desire to stay in their homes for as long as possible, and with the growing costs of such retirement and assisted living centers who can blame them? But Father Time catches up to everyone, taking with him some of the spryness enjoyed in youth. So in order to make living at home a possibility for those couples or individuals who are aging, a few accommodations to the home will need to be considered and implemented. One of the first issues that will require changes to be made in the home is the lack of mobility that many elderly people incur as they age. Modifications to the home to accommodate a lack of mobility for the owners can be made, however, to allow the homeowners to stay within the home longer than if these modifications were not made.
Modifying the Home An initial modification that can be made to a home to accommodate a person or persons with limited mobility is to install handrails on all internal and external stairwells. With time, it may be necessary to install a stair transporting device on the inside of the home to allow a person the ability to reach the second level of the home without having to struggle up the stairs, but for the initial phase simply installing more handrails will due. Likewise, if there are hallways that are traveled frequently in the home, one may wish to consider installing handrails along the walls of the hall to assist themselves as they walk down the hallway. These can be removed later to make room for walkers and wheelchairs if needed.
Additional Home Modifications Another way to increase the mobility of aging people within their own home is to widen the doors and entry ways within the home to provide space for walkers or wheelchairs. Hallways likewise can be widened to allow the homeowners to navigate their home with the use of a walker, wheelchair, or other mobility device.
Entryway thresholds and transitional molding from carpet to tile may wish to be removed or altered as to avoid being a tripping hazard. And nonslip material may wish to be installed or placed in bathrooms, kitchens, and other potentially slippery areas of the home. After equipping the home with aids for mobility, an elderly couple or those providing for them may wish to consider other modifications to the home that will allow the couple to live within their home for longer. One such consideration is to install a hard of hearing phone within the home. Free hard of hearing phones can be secured if the residence are shown to be hard of hearing. These phones, designed for the aid of hearing disabled and the hard of hearing, are great additions to an elderly couple’s home as they will be able to communicate clearly with those who are trying to contact them. By retrofitting their home an elderly couple will be able to remain self-sufficient for longer. And will therefore be able to stay living at home for longer.