Can I Successfully Age-in-Place in My Home? 10 Questions to Ask About Your Home.

While most seniors would rather stay in their current home, is it the best option? The reality is, moving to independent living in a Life Plan Community like South Port Square could be a better plan for your today and your tomorrow. However, if you’re wondering, can I age in place in my home, here are 10 questions to ask yourself. 

1. Can I Age in Place in My Home?

To effectively age at home will more than likely require in-home care. If you only need help with dressing or bathing, a home care professional can stop by your home to help. However, once you go beyond two or three main areas of focus, in-home care becomes more expensive and harder to organize. A Life Plan Community provides and engaging lifestyle backed by higher levels off care, if ever needed.  

2. Can I Manage My Home’s Upkeep?

Keeping up with your home’s day-to-day needs can be overwhelming at times. The maintenance-free lifestyle found at a Life Plan Community ensures you never have to worry about your home’s interior or exterior maintenance ever again. 

3. Do I Have More Home Than I Need?

A home that may have met your needs when you were raising a family or working may now be too big for your current lifestyle. If you find you have rooms in your house that you only use for storage or only enter to clean, then you probably have more home than you need. 

4. What Kind of Care Could I Need?

Consider your mental and physical health because they can have a huge impact on what’s needed. 

• Are you relatively healthy and independent?  

• Do you only require minimal care? 

• How often do you have medical appointments? 

• What types of medications do you take? 

• Do you have any chronic conditions or pain that will need to be regularly evaluated?  

5. How Can I Make My Home Safer?

Falls are the number one cause of serious injury among older adults, so ensuring you reduce trip hazards and add safety features should be a top priority. If your mobility needs change, you’ll also want to make your home easier to get around. Here’s some changes to make. 

• Grab bars: Install grab bars or railings in high-risk areas like bathrooms and bedrooms for additional support and to help prevent slip and fall injuries.  

• Bathroom changes: Bathrooms are filled with hard, slick surfaces, and even lifting your foot a little bit could cause you to lose your balance. To further reduce your chances of falling, consider installing a walk-in shower. 

• Outdoor ramp: Adding a ramp isn’t just for wheelchair access. Ramps eliminate the need to navigate steps, which can make maintaining balance difficult, even with a banister.  

• Add smart home technology: Items like medical alert, home security and remote monitoring or communication systems are very helpful. You may also consider adding controls for lights, entertainment systems and blinds that can be controlled with your smart phone or a remote.  

• Replace faucets: Touchless faucets on kitchen and bathroom sinks are great for people with arthritis or grip issues. You can also replace twist faucet handles with levers. 

• Update flooring: Carpet should be securely attached and no more than a half an inch thick. Remove rugs as they are a major tripping hazard. In the bathroom, use non-slip tile.  

• Improve lighting: You’ll want to make sure your hallways and bathrooms are well lit. Install bright nightlights and use table or floor lamps for sitting areas. Put adhesive tape-lights under cabinets to provide extra countertop light.  

• Replace doorknobs: Install lever-style handles which are easier to open than round doorknobs. If you have round kitchen cabinet knobs, you may want to switch them out with bar- or lever-style handles. 

6. What Does it Cost to Make Age-In-Place Modifications to My Home?

For an idea of what aging in place costs, here are some home modification examples: 

• Widening doorways and hallways: This can cost anywhere from $300 to $1,000 per doorway. 

• Installing ramps and grab bars: This can cost anywhere from $500 to $2,000. 

• Modifying the kitchen and bathroom: This can cost anywhere from $1,000 to $5,000. 

• Adding night lights and better lighting: This can cost anywhere from $100 to $500. 

• Adding non-slip flooring: This can cost anywhere from $1,000 to $3,000. 

• Medical alert systems: This can cost anywhere from $50 to $200 per month. 

• Smart home devices: This can cost anywhere from $100 to $500. 

• Walk-in shower: A basic walk-in show can cost between $1,000 and $12,000. More elaborate showers with features like built-in seats, benches, or multiple shower heads can cost upwards of $20,000. 

7. When Should I Consider Assisted Living?

Not everyone needs or wants the same level of help around the house, but assisted living acts as a support if it’s needed. Of course, there are more reasons to consider making the move into assisted living than just needing help with activities of daily living (ADLs), including wanting more social opportunities and freedom to enjoy life on your terms. 

8. What Does Assisted Living Cost?

What each option costs depends on your personal needs. Make a list of the care services you’ll need to maintain your ideal lifestyle, including help with medication management, cooking, grooming or being more active. 

9. What Are the Benefits of Independent Living?

Here’s how moving to an independent living community like South Port Square can make life easier and more enjoyable:  

• Designed just for you: Senior communities are designed to help you safety age in place and feature most, if not all, of the modification listed above.  

• Eat healthier: Enjoy a chef-prepared meal that can accommodate your dietary needs without sacrificing flavor in one of our dining venues.   

• All-inclusive: Our monthly fee covers indoor and outdoor maintenance, all utilities except for phone and internet, property taxes, your dining program and all our services and amenities. 

• Maintenance-free living: No more waiting around for a service call. Let our talented team handle all maintenance work or repairs.  

• Calendar of activities: Take a fitness, wellness or art class, attend a presentation by a guest speaker, or get together with your neighbors. You can do as much, or as little, as you want. 

• Friendly neighbors: Being part of tight-knit and supportive community improves your health and happiness. Everyone ages, so why not do it surrounded by interesting people who want to enjoy life to the fullest? 

• Peace of mind: South Port has a full continuum of on-site care including assisted living, skilled nursing and rehabilitation, if ever needed. 

10. Where Should I Start?

Looking for maintenance-free residences that are especially designed to help you successfully age in place for as long as possible? Explore our independent living floor plans and visit our award-winning community, then schedule a personal visit by using our Community Assistant chat feature or contacting us here.