Why Are Many Homes Unsafe for Aging Adults?
Most homes today were built with the average, healthy family in mind. They were not built to accommodate people with limited mobility, strength, and balance. Common features in an everyday household, such as lack of support in the shower, are potential dangers to an older person. Without grab bars and other slip-resistant features, the risk of suffering a life-threatening fall rises significantly. Falls are the leading cause of injurious deaths among older adults and therefore the greatest threat to their ability to age in place. You can prevent these dangers by remodeling your bathroom with Universal Design features in mind.
What is Universal Design?
Universal Design means creating an environment that’s easy for everyone to use—regardless of age, size, or ability. Homes retrofitted with the Universal Design (UD) model in mind are far more accommodating to the needs of older adults with limited strength, flexibility, and balance. Universal Design features help ensure that everything in your home is accessible to all family members, with or without functional limitations. And the best part? You don’t have to compromise on style. Universal Design goes beyond accessibility to include style at its very core.
Visit our local showroom partners to select from a wide range of stylish brands and fixtures.
Update Your Bathroom with Universal Design
​When retrofitting your home with the Universal Design model, the bathroom
is a great place to start. Not only is it a common site for slips and
falls, but it’s also the most popular room for home remodeling.
Of the Baby Boomers who said they plan to remodel, 56% are planning to
update the bathroom. Here are several aging-friendly upgrades to consider:
- Grab bars in the tub and shower, with colors and finishes that compliment your decor and contrast with the wall for better visibility
- Curbless shower or walk-in shower with little or no threshold to step over
- Slip-resistant flooring throughout the bathroom
- Single-lever faucet handle, rather than two separate knobs or handles
- Pressure-balanced faucet to maintain steady water temperature and prevent scalding
- Adjustable height, hand-held shower hose with conveniently placed, easy-to-operate controls
- Comfort height toilet with a seat height of 17–19 inches, rather than the standard 14–16 inches
For more info on making age-appropriate adjustments throughout your entire house, check out stopfalls.org, aarp.org/homefit, and thehartford.com/remodel.
Contact us to learn about how we can help make your home safe for aging adults.
