How to Design a Home for Aging in Place

October 1, 2020

More and more people are deciding to age in place, either in their primary residence or in a renovated second home. Choosing to remain at home has so many benefits and with the right design, it’s an attractive option for many older residents. In fact, “aging in place is strongly linked to greater health and happiness outcomes for seniors.” In this article, we will discuss some of the most important design elements to consider including flooring, hardware, wainscoting/chair rails, lighting, and bathroom fixtures.

Managing Different Levels

If your home has more than one floor, one of the first things you will have to address is the challenge of stairs. Options for mitigating stairs include elevators and chair lifts. It’s also a good idea to consider moving the master suite to the first floor, if it’s not already located there. You may need to consider accessibility with a wheelchair, in which case you need to look at the width of door frames and whether or not ramps will be needed to manage smaller changes in elevation.

Flooring Choices

Flooring can pose challenges to older adults, so it’s important to choose the right surfaces for your home. Consider minimizing transitions between different types of flooring, as these can be tripping hazards. It’s helpful to choose surfaces like non-slip vinyl, cork and low pile carpeting, which are much more forgiving for falls.

Lighting

Lighting is an important consideration when renovating a home to age in place. Aging eyes result in increased sensitivity to glare and reduced contrast sensitivity (it’s more difficult to tell the difference between light/dark surfaces). These factors can make it harder to navigate areas of your home safely, so make sure spaces are well-lit and use task lighting to make it easier to complete tasks like reading, grooming, and other hobbies. Direct and indirect lighting can be used in tandem to provide sufficient lighting while simultaneously reducing glare.

Make sure that the home gets plenty of daylight, as older occupants may not get outside as much as they would like, and natural light is proven to increase levels of serotonin in the body which can elevate mood, increase focus, reduce depression and relieve anxiety. However, steps should also be taken to reduce glare caused by sunlight. Tinted glazing for windows or using shades (exterior and interior) can help temper natural light as needed.

Kitchen and Bathroom Fixtures

The kitchen and bathroom are two important spaces that require extra attention when it comes to aging in place. Curbless showers with handheld sprayers, benches and grab bars will make bathing much easier and safer in later years. Wheelchair accessible doorways and space for adequate turning are also advised. The master bathroom should be located on the first floor.

Make sure hardware on doors, cabinets and appliances are not traditional handles or knobs, but rather d-handles, levers or loop handles that are easier to grip. Cabinets should be easily accessible and even upper cabinets should be about 3 inches lower than the traditional height. Consider using pullout shelves in cabinets or open-shelving as these are much easier to access.

These are just some of the many options for homeowners looking to renovate a primary or secondary residence to age in place. If you are looking to age in place, INTEGRATA Architecture + Construction has over 20 years of experience designing homes for this purpose and we are happy to discuss your project with you. Please send us an email for more information or phone the office at (508) 495-6575.

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