Aging in place can be just as beautiful as it is functional.
It’s your home. You’ve lived in it for a while and the idea of moving to a new place purely for added accessibility can be a difficult thought. But what if you didn’t have to? What if there were renovations you could do to give yourself (or a senior sharing your home) some added safety and security while remaining in a familiar space for as long as possible? Depending on your situation, you may only need minor tweaks to a home to add sufficient accessibility, but other homes may need more work to give you the features you need.
Statistics show that by 2030, 1 in 6 people will be over the age of 60, and nearly 90% of those would prefer to stay in their current homes as long as possible. Your needs and living situations change as you age, and whether you’re already seeing signs of this or just preparing for the future (or for a loved one), it’s more likely you’ll be able to stay in your home if you start making beneficial changes sooner than later.
While it can be difficult to adapt to your home to improve accessibility, our goal is not to make your home feel like a care home, but rather source tools and finishes that maintain the beauty and character of your home, while giving you the features you’ll need to successfully stay there for as long as you can.
In this article, we’ll look at different rooms of your home, areas you might need to adapt to your personal requirements, and give you practical tips to help you renovate in a way that suits your needs and budget.
Accessibility and Manoeuvrability in the Bathroom
Bathrooms are one of the first and most important areas to focus on when considering an age-in-place renovation. Not only are bathrooms often too small (especially in older homes) to accommodate accessibility tools like walkers or wheelchairs, they also have a higher potential to be slippery, and slippery surfaces heighten the risk of falls.
Bathroom limitations and layouts
If you have the space to make your bathroom larger (perhaps by repurposing some space from an unused bedroom?) you’ll not only make your space more accessible, but also increase the value of the space. Bigger bathrooms are a selling feature that many homebuyers are looking for, so taking on that type of renovation can benefit you in the short and long term.
If you already have sufficient space in your bathroom, or decide to enlarge your existing space, the next aspect to look at is the layout. How easy is it to move around in the space? Is enough storage accessible and convenient? Is the doorway wide enough? Take a good look at the fixtures you want to include, like an accessible bathtub or a curbless shower (with or without a built-in bench seat). Find a toilet that is stable and easy to get up from, and faucets that are beautiful, but easy to grip and use. Adding strong and secure grab bars in strategic places (near the toilet and bath/shower area) will give you extra help if balance or stability is an issue.
Once you settle on a functional layout it’s time to look at finishes and fixtures. For flooring, it’s ideal to find something as flat as possible that can also minimize the potential for slipping, even when wet. Tile floors can be slippery and grout lines can be tough to navigate with wheels or canes, but that doesn’t mean you need to settle for something you don’t like. There are tons of flooring options available and we can help you find a flooring that will be both safe and beautiful. If you love tile, using some on the walls can be just what you need to give your space the look you want. Stone countertops are easy to clean and highly durable, and carefully chosen cabinet pulls can be the perfect finishing touch as well as being easy to grip and use.
Check out our Bathroom Gallery to get inspired!
Safety and Functionality in the Kitchen
When looking at the kitchen through an aging-in-place lens, there are some simple and more complicated changes one can make to make the space more accessible and safe.
Accessible Storage Options
Accessible storage can be as simple as rearranging the cabinet contents to ensure the most-used items are within reach without needing to stretch or crouch. A good rule of thumb is to put the dishes, tools, and pantry supplies you or your loved one will use most often somewhere between eye-level and knee-level. Modern kitchens tend to maximize storage, meaning there are often added storage areas both high and low that would be less accessible for anyone with balance or mobility issues.
If you’re looking to make more permanent changes, there are options available that would help give access to some of those areas. For lower cabinets, making use of the myriad of pull-outs available is a great plan. Even those hard-to-access corner cabinets can be made more accessible by adding a lazy susan, or a pull-out rack. Using drawers in base cabinetry means you can see into and access everything in them from a standing position, rather than needing to bend to see inside. Deep pantry cabinets can be fitted with pull-out shelves reducing the need to reach or move things around to find items at the back.
Cabinetmakers (Gateway included) generally allow 18 inches of space between the countertop surface and the bottom of the upper cabinets, but depending on your space, there’s no reason many of those cabinets couldn’t be lower. With the exception of cabinets above cooktops (where building and fire codes come into play) cabinets can be lowered all the way down to countertop height if you choose. This allows for more storage space within the “eye-level to knee-level” zone. Provided you have sufficient prep space, and room for appliances that you may want on the countertop, a reduced height for upper cabinets could be a smart choice. If a complete overhaul of your upper cabinets isn’t a possibility and you’d still like better access, or you have higher shelves you’d also need access to, pull-down racks like this one can be a useful modification to existing cabinetry.
Illuminate the workspace
Added task lighting can improve safety in the kitchen and make the space more accessible for people with vision impairments. Under-cabinet lighting illuminates countertops that are otherwise often in shadows because of standard overhead lighting. Ensuring a brightly-lit workspace can minimize accidents.
Embrace extra space
Most modern kitchen designers recommend at least 3 feet, or 36 inches of walkway space between perimeter cabinets and any islands in a kitchen, but depending on your situation, adding a bit extra can help with manoeuvrability, especially if you generally have multiple people using the space at the same time. Creating a wider walkway means you’ll have more room to get around open dishwasher, cabinet or oven doors, or just pass other people who are also using the kitchen. Sometimes the temptation to squeeze more features into a kitchen can result in reduced open space, so take a good look at what you actually need to ensure you have enough room to move around in any possible situation.
Choose appliances for accessibility and safety
There are a lot of appliances on the market that cater to added safety and accessibility in the kitchen, some that may seem obvious and others that might be worth seeking out. Side-by side refrigerators are a good choice to be able to access both the fridge and freezer without needing to bend or reach, and a drawer-style dishwasher (or even just installing a standard dishwasher on a raised platform) can make loading and unloading dishes significantly easier.
When it comes to cooking, technology has improved with added features for cooking surfaces that can help make them safer. Many flat-topped glass cooktops come equipped with a panel lock to disable access to heating surfaces. This feature can be helpful if you have either children or members of your household who suffer from memory lapses or dementia. If you’re looking to adapt a home for an elderly parent or relative, this Bosch cooktop is also wifi-enabled and using their HomeConnect app, you can remotely monitor the cooktop and receive safety notifications in case it was inadvertently left on.
Wall ovens are a good choice because they can be mounted at a height that best suits you, and if mounted at a similar height to the countertop, hot or heavy items can be moved more easily than bending and lifting out of the low oven of a freestanding range.
Even the smaller appliances should be evaluated when modifying your kitchen in hopes of aging-in-place. Do you have heavy mixers that are difficult to move? Adding an appliance lift for heavy appliances can keep them stowed and out of sight, but still easy to access without having to manhandle a bulky machine.
Over-the-Range (or OTR) Microwaves can be very high, creating risks for scalds when removing hot food. Putting a microwave at counter level with sufficient counter space nearby to rest a hot dish is a better option.
Check out our Kitchen Gallery to get inspired!
Other home modifications to enable aging-in-place
Beyond the kitchen and the bathroom, there are dozens of ways you can improve accessibility in your home to help you stay there as long as possible. Here are a few additional areas to look at:
Make use of tech: Smart home technology can make life easier by using motion sensors or voice controls to operate lighting, control temperatures, or access necessary tools like emergency services.
Swap out older-style narrow light switches to the larger modern style to make them easier to use if dexterity is diminished.
Add easy-to-access lighting beside your bed. Many standard table lamps are finicky, have small switches or are difficult to turn on, especially in the dark. If faced with a nighttime medical emergency, being able to get a light on as quickly as possible is a benefit. Adding a light switch for overhead lighting near your bed can also be a good plan.
Rugs, especially small accent ones, can make moving around difficult if you require a cane or a wheeled walker, and can sometimes slide out of place or be a tripping hazard, creating safety concerns. Aim for fewer rugs in the space, and for any that stay, make sure they are well-secured and unlikely to shift or curl up at the edges.
Standard doorknobs can be difficult to use if dexterity becomes an issue. Look into swapping doorknobs for lever-style door pulls.
Make sure your address is clearly visible from the street at all times of day in case you require emergency medical services. If your house numbers are difficult to see, opt for larger ones or add lighting to improve visibility.
Good lighting around staircases is important to help prevent falls. Ensure you have sufficient light at the top and bottom of the stairs with light switches easily accessible at both landings.
Get access to all the help and resources you need:
All the information on modifying your home can be overwhelming and different from person to person, and while we have a lot of information and many tools at our disposal to help you create a beautiful, functional and safe space to age in place, we aren’t health professionals. If you are considering a renovation to enable you to stay in your home as long as possible we recommend that you get a safety assessment done. Enabling Access provides “home safety and accessibility assessments, home modification consultation and resources for older adults and people with disabilities, to prevent hospitalization and unnecessary placement in long-term-care facilities”. Their team of professionals can best assess your home and individual situation and make recommendations that you can then use to build your ideal space.
The Government of Canada offers a Home Accessibility Tax Credit (HATC) for qualifying renovations up to an annual total eligible expense limit of $20,000. Check out their website for more information on who can qualify.
At Gateway Kitchen + Bath, we provide full-service home renovation, from conception to completion. From creative interior design to dedicated project management, and precision construction, our experienced team can take your renovation from an idea to a reality.
If you are ready to start a renovation, or would like more information about what we do and how we can help you transform your home to both meet your needs and enrich your life, make an appointment today with a member of our talented Design Team, or contact us using our web form and explore what Gateway Kitchen + Bath can do for you!