Everyone deals with getting older in their own way. Some might choose to ignore it as much as possible, but aging is one of the few certainties in life. As you get older, you need to consider whether your home is going to require any upgrades or additions in order to accommodate your changing needs. This is particularly pertinent if your mobility should become affected. It's not as though you're going to need to change your home into something that resembles a hospital or even a retirement villa, but some minor modifications can make a huge difference. And making these modifications gradually before they're really necessary can also allow you to manage the costs. So what are some of the things you need to consider?
1. Access Points
If you have been thinking about home renovations, this is where you can effectively age proof your home without sacrificing any aesthetic qualities. It's a relatively straightforward job for building contractors to widen your doorways, making them accessible for wheelchairs or any other type of mobility aid. Not every doorway needs to be widened, and yet key places in your home (such as your bedroom, bathroom and of course your front door) can be infinitely easier to navigate once their entry point has been widened.
2. The Bathroom
Your bathroom can also be made safer with some minor modifications. Grab rails offer hand support when using the toilet, bath or shower, and these can be unobtrusive and made to complement your existing bathroom decor. Ensure that the rails are professionally bolted to the wall for maximum strength and stability. You could also consider the possibility of having a contractor replace your existing bath with a walk-in bathtub, minimising the risk of slipping even further. This is a bathtub that has a hinged door, allowing you to simply walk into the bath instead of climbing in. The door becomes watertight when closed, although additional drainage capabilities (replacing the existing drainage system with one that has a greater capacity) can be useful, as the bath needs to be completely drained before you can open the door to exit.
3. Lighting
You need to have a home that provides adequate illumination as needed. Motion sensor lights can be installed in walkways and activated at night, highlighting any obstacles without the need to actually switch anything on. This is a simple job for a contractor, but you might wish to consider smart lighting in each room, which can be voice activated, giving you as much light as you quite literally ask for, with no more getting up to manually activate or adjust the lighting.
While aging is a fact of life, you need to be sure that your home remains a safe and comfortable living space that reflects this particular fact.
There are still many people do not believe that women should be involved in DIY or construction jobs. My blog is here to prove them all wrong. My name is Connie and I have always been interested in construction and repair work around my home. Rather than just sitting back and letting someone else take care of the problem, I like to get stuck in so I can try and learn something. However, sometimes there are jobs I cannot do on my own. However, when I call in a contractor, I always take the time to chat with them so I can pick up a tip or trick which will help me in the future. I hope you like the articles on my blog.