It’s a fact: Most people 50 and older want to stay in their homes and comununities for as long as possible, according to various research studies.
But how to start? AARP has created a “Home Fit Guide” to help Boomers turn their home into a lifelong home. The HomeFit website (aarp.org/homefit) offers tips and resources which you can read, print and download or order a print copy (for free). In a room-by-room review, it asks whether kitchen work areas are well lit, halls are free of slippery scatter rugs, and handrails are on both sides of a stairway.
It offers specific tips to help with visibility such as installing light switches that glow in the dark and adding light to closets. Lever-style door and faucet handles help aching hands.
Many are do-it-yourself projects. Others, like widening doorways and entering and exiting your home without using steps, require professional skills. Here too the Guide is helpful with tips for interviewing contractors and checking their references.
Empty nesters and retirees are finding that altering the old family home to fit their new “freer” lifestyle is just too much trouble. Many are opting to “move-down” to a new home but finding that moving down doesn’t mean down-grading. In fact, today’s Independent Living Communities offer just about every convenience one could ask for from beautiful dining rooms to cafes to pools and workout rooms.