Home Design for Aging in Place

The design of our home spaces and some of the details have an influence on our usability and ease of conducting activities. The way we experience our home design can change as we age or as our body’s incur different mobility or sensory challenges. Aging in place is a concept for being able to remain in your home through the end of your life, without needing to move due to the home no longer being accommodating. According to a 2019 report by the National Association of Home Builders, the share of homebuyers aged 55 and over who are purchasing a home for the long term, with the intent to never move, has been steadily increasing over the past decade. In 2019, approximately 40% of homebuyers aged 55 and over reported that they plan to remain in their new home for the rest of their life, up from 32% in 2016. Additionally, a 2019 AARP survey found that 76% of Americans aged 50 and over plan to remain in their current residence as they age.

Whether you are building a new home or moving into an existing home and planning some renovations, there are a handful of design strategies that can be helpful for making the house adaptable for aging in place. Single-story homes are most ideal for long term aging in place occupancy. A home with all of the essential living spaces, including bathroom and kitchen, on the ground level can reduce the challenges of stairs that might lead to falls and injuries for older adults. Two story homes can still be useful if there is a second family member or care person living in the upstairs. Throughout the ground level, there should be wide hallways and wide door widths to accommodate mobility aids such as walkers and wheelchairs. Making mobility as manageable as possible requires some additional space in the design planning stages. Updating older homes to create larger hallways and door widths can be a more intrusive process and an architect can help to realize these with the best solutions with the existing structural framing, plumbing, and other constraints. Finally, incorporating an accessible outdoor space on the ground level is extremely beneficial for health and well-being of aging adults.

The ground level bathroom(s) should be designed with grab bars, or the backing plates in the wall to support future grab bar installation. The grab bars are helpful at bathing fixtures (bath or shower) and at the toilet fixture. Built-in benches or seats in a roll-in, curbless shower stall is a great alternative for wheelchair accessible design. The drain placement for curbless showers needs to be at a designated low-point with some slope and grading of the finish flooring to encourage proper water flow. Sometimes, a raised toilet seat will be beneficial for the ease of sitting and standing actions.

Anything throughout the home that requires a grip of the hand or certain fidelity with muscle fiber of the fingers and wrists should be addressed with specific designs. This includes door handles, light switches, and cabinetry and furniture pulls. Lever handles are most accessible for all doors in the home, and rocker light switches are the easiest to use for older adults with arthritis. Cabinetry handles that are shaped like pull bars for the hand to fit into will be more accommodating than small knobs that require a gripping action. In kitchen zones, it is also important to design adequate storage space at waist level to eliminate the need to reach too high or to bend down to retrieve items, reducing the chances of falling or injury. Larger storage drawers that pull outwards at waist level and allow for access to items further back in the drawer will be more ideal than a deep cabinet shelf.

Flooring design and floor transitions can be potential slipping and tripping hazards for older adults, especially those with mobility issues. To prevent tripping and falling, consider non-slip flooring in high-traffic areas, such as the kitchen and bathroom, or utilize non-slip footwear within the home. If possible, minimize flooring transitions between different spaces, keeping level floor conditions across doorway thresholds will be most beneficial to minimize mobility challenges. Use low-profile or flush thresholds if needed, which will reduce the height difference between two floor types and make it smoother to transition from one space to another. Contrasting colors between transition strips and adjacent flooring will improve the chances that the change in floor level is noticed. Keep the main entrance to the house a zero-step entryway, eliminating the need to navigate stairs on entry and exit of the home. Consider designing with grades and ramping where there is significant difference in floor levels between different spaces.

Vision impairments can increase as we age, and regular vision also changes towards more sensitivity to contrast and brightness. Be sure that adequate lighting is provided in all spaces with even distribution patterns, avoiding high contrast bright and dark zones where visibility will be needed for specific tasks such as in the kitchen. Natural daylighting is extremely beneficial for health and well-being and will provide the best quality lighting of home spaces through most of the day. If there is vision impairment, using contrasting colors between walls, floors, and furnishing will provide improved visibility of objects in the home. Keeping hallways and mobility pathways clear of clutter and ensuring furniture is arranged in a way to create space for movement will make a big difference.

The beautiful thing about designing the home for aging in place is that all of the strategies you implement today can be enjoyed right now – these strategies make sense for any stage of life! If you are planning to renovate or do some home improvements to adapt your home for aging in place, contact AIDA, LLC today for a consultation. You can always find more information and healthy home resources at Aletheia Ida Design and Architecture, LLC (AIDA, LLC) at www.aletheiaida.com.