The Benefits of Aging in Place Remodeling

Did you know: living in your home gets harder as you get older. Long stairways, narrow doorways, high threshold showers or bathtubs, doors with difficult knobs, and slippery flooring all become more challenging to use. But aging in place remodeling makes your home’s design better so long-term living is easier. Most American houses don’t accommodate seniors very well. Therefore, aging in place remodeling is essential. But it is also beneficial for a variety of reasons. Discover the advantages of aging in place remodeling so you can love your home for years to come. 

What Is Aging in Place Home Remodeling?

Aging in place remodeling physically changes a home’s design to empower seniors to live in their current homes safely and comfortably. 

The sooner you complete aging in place remodeling, the longer you can live independently. You may be able to avoid having to move into a new house, an assisted living facility, or the home of a friend or relative all together. That means you can stay self-sufficient and enjoy your home as long as you like.

Why Is Aging in Place Remodeling Necessary for Seniors?

The AARP finds that about 90% of seniors want to continue living in their current homes for the next five to ten years. But again, most American homes aren’t very safe for aging individuals. These homes need the design changes that aging in place remodeling provides in order to address the evolving needs of their older residents. 

Homes we navigate easily in our 30s, 40s, and 50s become increasingly hazardous in our 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s. Our bodies won’t reach up high, bend down low, step over things, traverse stairs, turn knobs, or grip small objects as easily any more. And struggling with these actions can lead to more severe consequences, like serious injuries. 

If you’re a senior who wants to live comfortably in your own home for as long as possible, aging in place remodeling services are essential for you. And that’s exactly why BenchMark Home Serivces offers them. 

Who Makes Aging in Place Home Modifications?

Aging in place remodeling is an art and a science. And many home remodeling companies lack the information and skill to offer effective aging in place remodeling. But BenchMark Home Services has a Certified Aging in Place Specialist (CAPS) on staff. 

A CAPS has the proper education and training to determine which aging in place modifications  you need. Their certificate from the National Assocation of Homebuilders qualifies them to collaborate with architects, occupational therapists, and interior designers to design and build beautiful, barrier-free living spaces for seniors.

For these reasons, trusting a home remodeling company with a CAPS, like Benchmark, is the best way to equip your home for aging. 

What Are the Benefits of Aging in Place Remodeling for Older People?

1. Heightened Safety

As mentioned, continuing to live in your house as you age can be a real pain, both figuratively and literally. Actions such as moving up and down stairs, using the bathroom, preparing food, even going down the hall or through the doors can be both taxing and treacherous.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that approximately 1 in 4 U.S. residents aged 65 or older fall annually. What’s more, deaths from unintentional injuries are the seventh leading cause of death among older adults, and falls make up the largest percentage of those deaths. Therefore, falls are the leading cause of injury-related deaths among seniors, and the age-adjusted rate of deaths from falls is increasing. Unfortunately, more older people may be falling and injuring themselves because they’re living longer in homes that don’t adapt to their new needs.

Another reason our homes can become more perilous over time is that our houses are also aging. Depending on when your house was built, it may contain:

• Asbestos
• Lead pipes or old plumbing
• Weak or broken flooring
• Chipping paint or lead paint
• Cracks or holes in the walls
• Pest infestations
• Mold

These issues can jeopardize your health, so they must be addressed as soon as possible. Thankfully, aging in place remodeling from professional home remodelers can both correct the design and restore the dependability of your home.

2. Retained Independence

Again, the point of aging in place is being able to keep living in the home you love with the people you love. You want to stay close to friends and family during this next chapter of life so you can be there for each other. But if your home inhibits your self-care, you can’t stay self-sufficient. You’ll have to relocate so you can receive the help you need.

You might have to move to a different house that takes you farther away from the place you prefer to be. Or, you may have to move into an assisted living facility that prevents you from being with your loved ones as much. Either way, you’ve lost control over certain parts of your life during a time when those parts are particularly precious.

As you can imagine, being in such a predicament is very frustrating. So, how can you prevent the loss of independence from happening to you? With aging in place remodeling. Aging in place remodeling makes your house work for you during this stage in your life and the next. By working with a CAPS-certified remodeler now, you can improve your odds for a healthier future and give yourself the best chance at aging well.

3. Added Convenience

Maybe you’re at the point where the effects of aging have caught up to you, but they haven’t overtaken you yet. You know you still have a lot of life left to live, and you’re not slowing down. So, why should you take on the hassle now when you won’t need aging in place remodeling until later in life?

It’s great that you still feel strong and energetic. You should make the most of this time while you can. But one of the best ways to do so is to prepare for your future while you’re still in such good shape. Undertaking aging in place remodeling now means you have the vitality required to get through it and get back to normal as soon as possible. If you wait until aging has impaired you and your home can no longer sustain you, you might not have the time or energy to make these modifications. So, by putting them off, you run the risk of missing your chance to conduct aging in place remodeling.

Consequently, if you carry out aging in place remodeling now, the process will be much less overwhelming to you. Also, the need for aging in place remodeling won’t be as urgent, so you can finish it at a reasonable pace. You may even have the option to adjust the changes if you want. Essentially, when you’re prudent about the timing of your aging in place remodeling, applying aging in place remodeling will be much more convenient for you.

4. Enhanced Comfort

If you think your house is perfectly comfortable now, that’s great! But if you’re anywhere close to the later years of your life, then you’ll find that aging in place remodeling will make your life easier both now and later. In fact, many aging in place updates are quite pleasant to interact with at any age.

For example, anyone can trip and fall on stairs no matter how old they are. So, covering our stairs with carpet helps us avoid falling and cushions us if we do fall. Also, trying to access certain kitchen cabinets can be annoying even when we’re younger, if such cabinets are very high or very deep. For this reason, we can appreciate pull-up or pull-down shelves right now. And even if we don’t have much trouble stepping into the shower or tub, a no-threshold shower is a very sleek and stylish bathroom feature that allows us to enjoy a spa-like experience in our own homes.

Aging in place remodeling simplifies our lives no matter when we make them. And if you work with a professional home remodeler on aging in place remodeling now, you can live more leisurely for much longer.

5. Extra Personalization

If you built your current home or remodeled it in the past, then hopefully, you’re very happy with its aesthetics. But if you purchased your house and haven’t been able to remodel yet, you might be dealing with interior designs that you don’t care for. In that case, you’ll appreciate that aging in place remodeling allows you to change up some of the details of your home so that they better suit your style.

For instance, if you need to install slip-resistant flooring, you can ensure that you like what you lay down. You can also approve the color of new cabinets, the texture of new countertops, the look of additional lighting, the shape of a no-threshold shower, even the finish of new doorknobs. Not every aging in place home modification calls for as much if any design input (e.g., widening doorways, putting the washer and dryer up on pedestals, replacing windows, upgrading your HVAC system). However, many remodeling for older adults involve an aesthetic decision, so aging in place remodeling permits you to infuse your home with even more personalization.

6. Increased Property Value

Usually, people implement aging in place design with the intent of remaining in their home as long as they remain on this earth. But sometimes, unexpected circumstances compel them to vacate their houses sooner than they would like. If there’s a chance this could happen to you, you might wonder why you would even bother with aging in place remodeling at all. Wouldn’t it just be a waste of time and money?

Definitely not. For as long as you live in your house, the aging in place remodeling would benefit you. And if for some unfortunate reason, you have to move out and list your house, the aging in place design would benefit the successive occupants of the house as well.  

With so many seniors hoping to spend their retirement years at home, those who are looking for a new home in which to do so would be grateful that your house was already prepared for them. Even middle-aged couples could see the advantages of purchasing a home altered to include aging in place design, as it would let them to tend to older parents or relatives. Therefore, augmenting your home with aging in place design actually makes it more attractive to potential buyers. And a property that’s more attractive to buyers is more lucrative to the sellers.

How Can You Receive Aging in Place Remodeling?

Now that you know the benefits of aging in place remodeling, you can plan to make them with BenchMark. Our owner, Anne Capozzi of Capozzi Design Build, is a CAPS. With her expertise, we’ll enable your home to care for you physically and emotionally for decades. Contact us today to start your aging in place remodeling.