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For some seniors, aging in place is not an option, and they need to relocate to assisted living facilities or nursing homes.

However, home likely holds very special meaning for our parents and grandparents. It is where they are most comfortable and secure, and where many memories were formed. Home also means the many friends, neighbors and larger community that they've grown attached to over the years.

Thankfully, aging in place is possible for many seniors, with just a little bit of work. Remodeling the home (by installing grab bars or lifts, for example) or simply reorganizing it can facilitate mobility and make it possible to for the elderly remain in a familiar environment.

Home retrofitting contractors can help with these changes.

Retrofitting the Home for Aging in Place

Retrofitting to enable seniors to stay in their homes often involves three primary strategies:

• Adding features that help with movement and help prevent falls, like grab bars
• Installing elevators and other devices that make moving between floors easier
• Reorganizing spaces, opening up floor plans and removing thresholds and other barriers to movement

Retrofitting contractors can also make changes to kitchen counters and other such elements so that people of varying heights and with varying physical abilities can more easily use them.

A virtually endless array of home adaptations are possible, including things like motion sensors for hallway lights, mirrors that can be easily used when seated and better use of colors throughout the home (for example, high-contrast colors) for those who have trouble seeing.

Home Assessments for Aging in Place Retrofitting

If your elderly loved ones are in relatively good health and are candidates for aging in place, the first step in a home retrofit is a needs assessment. Not long ago, this would have required a visit from an occupational therapist or other health professional, something that would have required a prescription from a doctor in many cases.

Today, however, certified aging-in-place specialists from the National Association of Home Builders are available to conduct the evaluation for a fee. This typically takes 30 to 60 minutes and costs approximately $100 to $150. This specialist will provide a list of suggestions, tailored to specific budget and needs, which can be shared with a contractor.

5 Tips for Home Retrofitting

There’s no reason that preparing the home for aging in place needs to be terribly complicated or expensive. Here are five tips that can help you and your elderly loved ones get started:

1. Put in bathroom grab bars. Both standing and sitting are easier with grab bars in place, and they are especially important in the bathroom where privacy is of utmost importance.
2. Move the bedroom to the ground floor. The easiest way to deal with stairs is to avoid them. Sleeping on the first floor means your parents or grandparents don’t have to go up or down stairs when they are tired and most prone to falling.
3. Eliminate throw rugs. They may look nice, but these can often lead to tripping and falling. However, you can look into using tapes and tacks to secure them to the floor if your loved one is reluctant to get rid of them.
4. Put in ramps at entrances. They can make entering and exiting the home much easier, even for those who have the ability to use stairs.
5. Replace cabinet knobs and handles. If opening cabinet doors or drawers is difficult, better hardware could be all that is required to make the process easier.