Make your house a home for a lifetime. Design can be both functional and attractive, making your home more comfortable and enjoyable for everyone in the family, from children to grandparents. Key Renovations can remodel your home to make it safer, more accessible and barrier-free.

What is "Aging-in-Place?"

• Remaining in one's home safely, independently and comfortably regardless of age, income or ability level.
• Making a house "home" for a lifetime through Universal Design techniques.
• Use of low-maintenance, affordable materials.

How can Aging in Place affect me?

If you are like the majority of Americans over the age of 45, you want to continue living in a familiar environment throughout your maturing years.

According to the AARP, 74% of older homeowners prefer to age in place.* To age in place safely and comfortably, you may need a few modifications to your home. People whose homes don't meet their needs often aren't as active in their communities. Difficulty in getting around the home may make it difficult to prepare for getting out into the community.

The AARP's "Fixing to Stay" study also found that:

• People 50 and older who said that their homes would not meet their needs as they grew older were almost twice as likely to feel isolated.
• Older consumers want a means of identifying professionals they can trust.
• Those professionals need to be reliable, honest and have training in the proper skill-sets to modify, design and build a safe, barrier-free home.

What is Universal Design?

Universal Design is the design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design.

Universal Design is used to help people age in place.

Universal Design concepts include:

• Barrier Free - Rooms, entrances and environments that are designed to minimize or eliminate barriers like steps, large steep grades or slopes, thresholds greater than 1/2", and narrow, cluttered or restrictive passages.
  
  
• Accessible - Accessible Design complies with regulations or criteria that establish a minimum level of design necessary to accommodate persons with disabilities.
  
  Examples of accessible design:
  • 32" wide doorways
  • ½" and ¼" thresholds
  • Roll-in showers
  • Ramps
  • Grab bars
    
    
• Adaptable - Adaptability is a design concept developed to address problems of individual differences and changes in capability over time.
  
  Examples of adaptable design include thermostat and light switches that can be reached by child, person in wheelchair, or ambulatory adult. A stair lift can be installed on a temporary basis.
  
  
• Visitable - Visitability is a minimum level of accessibility that will allow a person using a wheelchair basic access to the ground floor of a home.

Where can Universal Design be utilized in my home?

Universal Design Elements can be employed in every area of the home. Some examples include:

• Parking
• Entrances, Ramps, Stairs and Lifts
• Kitchens
  • Adequate turnspace
  • Recessed or protected plumbing
  • Roll-under sinks
  • Adjustable or varied counter heights
  • Accessible appliances
  • Accessible storage
• Utility and Storage Areas
• Bathrooms
  • Sufficient knee space
  • Protected drain and water pipes
  • Levered handles or push faucets
  • Low mirror
  • Counter
  • Adequate space to approach
  • Grab Bars
  • Barrier-free showers
  • Shower controls
    • Scald-proof valves
    • Hand-held shower with wall clip for hose
    • Offset controls
    • Push or lever handles
• Controls
  • Light switches
  • Electrical outlets
  • Environmental controls
  • Alarm systems
  • Light systems
  • Security
  • Knobs and handles
• Exteriors
  • Installation of interior or exterior elevators or lifts
  • Ramps, slopes and zero-step or zero-level entryways
  • Hand railings
• Living and Dining Areas
  • Creation of a multi-functional first floor master suite
  • Levered door handles
  • Auxiliary handles
  • Thresholds and floor heights
  • Hand railings
  • Platform lifts and chair lifts
  • Elevators

Who can you rely on to modify your home?

A Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS) who has been trained in:

• The unique needs of the older adult population
• Aging-in-place home modifications
• Correct installation of assistive devices
• Solutions to common barriers
• Common remodeling projects

What does the CAPS designation stand for?

• A reliable way to identify professionals to modify your home
• Developed and administered by the National Association of Home Builders
• Endorsed by AARP

Things to do before you modify your home:

Remember you are buying a service rather than a product. No matter where you start in the process, you will eventually need to hire a professional remodeler to make modifications to your home.

-Ask yourself these questions first:

• Do I want to add a bathroom and possibly bedroom to the main level?
• How can I make my kitchen more functional?
• Am I worried about preventing falls?
• Will remodeling increase the energy efficiency of my home?
• Will other members of my family benefit in the future from modifications?
• Will visiting loved ones or friends benefit?
• How much money can I budget for this project?
• Will I need to get a home equity loan?

-Go through a home modification checklist:

• Calculate your budget
• Seek referrals
• Contact trade associations
• Verify the remodeler's references
• Look for professional designations
• Check with your local/state office of consumer protection (Better Business Bureau)
• Ask your professional remodeler for a written estimate
• Select a professional remodeler

Where do you find a professional you can confidentiality consult about your aging-in-place needs?

Right here! Key Renovations is a Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist. Call today 1.877.427.3535 or 214.725.2368 or email us at: info@keyrenovations.com