10 Easy Age Proofing Ideas
Want to ageproof your home to stay in control - and in your home - as you age? Are you an adult child helping your parents make their home more comfortable and convenient to get around? Use this list to come up with a plan.
By Gene And Katie Hamilton
Try these common sense ideas that make your home an easy place to live whether you're young or old. These are ways to accident-proof your home so it's a safe haven for everyone who lives there. While these ideas are easy-on-the-budget they go a long way to making the rooms in your house comfortable and convenient. They may cost next to nothing but they create a family-friendly place where it's safe and comfortable to live.
- Use nightlights in bedrooms, bathrooms and hallways
- Secure extension and appliance cords to the base shoe molding at the bottom of a wall with u-shaped staples
- Tame the tangle of home electronic cables and wire with cord managers, covers and cable protectors
- Remove throw rugs (especially at the top and bottom of a staircase) or secure them with a rug grip or rug tape
- Install a grab bar in a tub or shower for safe footing
- Increase bathroom lighting for putting on makeup or reading the tiny print label on medicine
- Add under-cabinet lighting for chopping food or reading a recipe in the kitchen
- Add rollout storage shelves in cabinets to easily see what's inside
- Add a second hand rail on the wall of a staircase and increase the lighting to assure safe passage
- Bridge the gap between different floor levels of two rooms by installing a multi-level door threshold reducer so they are level
Click on these Links to Articles and Information about Aging in Place
- Simple Solutions to Age Proofing a Home 8 easy changes to make to a home.
- Rightsizing Your Home Consider how big or small your house should be.
- Age Friendly Room Checklist Use this list to see if your home is age friendly.
- Job Costs for Age Proofing Projects Find the cost of 19 upgrades and replacements.
- Lighting a Family Friendly Home What's the correct amount of lighting in a room?
- Tips and Hints to Age Proof a Home Do simple things to make a home better.
- Job Costs to Age Proof a Kitchen Cost of kitchen projects.
- Update a Bathroom for Lifelong Living Remodeling solutions to consider.