When the topic of “aging in place” comes up, people always talk about accessibility. There are three key elements to aging in place and accessibility is the third most important. Aging in place can mean anything from living at home until significant impairment occurs or never having to leave the house. Read on for tips on how to plan ahead.

1. Location: Think about how you will live. What activities you want to do, what type of environment. What do want the freedom to do? Where you live should be based on the answers to these questions.

2. Function: Think about the number of rooms and function of those rooms. What is big enough as a master bedroom when it is just you or your spouse may not be big enough once equipment needs to be in the room, or once the room takes on a role as a main living space, where you take visitors, etc. When a 1st floor room in a house gets converted to a bedroom, the room often lacks privacy. It can be helpful if there a room that could be used by an in house caregiver.

3. Accessibility: You want to make sure you are not marooned in one part of the house. This means making sure you can get around with a walker or a wheelchair, and if the house is not one story, that you plan for either a chairlift or an elevator. Many chairlifts in homes that go unused because physical impairments keep people from being able to use them. An elevator is the only sure way to ensure that you will be able to reach upper floors. It is possible to plan for an elevator by building a shaft that is just used for closet space and then floors are removed in the shaft and an elevator is built in at a later date. A builder, with input by an elevator company, can build this feature into most multi-level homes.

With physical impairment the main issues are losing the ability to ambulate and losing function in your hands. If you don't have to climb stairs, can get to different areas of your house, and don't need to use much arm strength or fine motor skills to open doors and cabinets, the you will be able to age in place. To design for these issues you need lever hardware on doors, cabinet hardware that is easily graspable, and doorways and hallways that are wide enough to allow passage in a wheelchair. Keep in mind that ADA standards are the designed to work for all equipment. You can often get by with less. Plan in as much space to move about as you can.

A curbless shower is more expensive than a traditional walk in shower, but you may want to plan for at least one shower to have this feature. Even if you do not want to install grab bars now, make sure your builder installs wood blocking for grab bars to be installed later in the shower and bath. Note where the blocking is installed and keep this information somewhere where you can find it later.

As is always the case with building, a little planning goes a long way. To age in place, don't just think about your needs now - try to imagine your future needs as well.

Aging in Place: More Than Accessibility