Acadian House Design + Renovation Celebrates 45 years of Design + Renovation Excellence!
Aging-in-Place Home Modifications Deliver More Options for Aging Seniors
Angela Poirrier
February 28, 2014
Many middle-aged couples are faced with the challenge of caring for their aging parents and caring for their young children. As the Babyboomer generation continues to age, the middle-aged will need to determine the best route of care for their parents. In the past, senior assisted living facilities or nursing homes left families with little or no options. But, now many seniors have choices with the increased ability to make modifications to their current home. This movement is known as Aging-In-Place.
Aging-In-Place provides the continual comforts of home for seniors while providing with them the necessities to safely live in their home. Acadian House Kitchen & bath helps to insure senior dignity and independence by making modifications to the home not removing them from it and placing them in a care facility.
Aging-In-Place also relieves some of the financial constraints of aging seniors. Senior care homes or facilities can cost between $30,000- $50,000 annually. Modifications made to a home to allow seniors to Age-In-Place can cost as little as $1,000 to $50,000. The difference is that the home modifications are a one-time upfront cost, as opposed to the annual costs associate with a care facility.
According to the AARP, older home owners overwhelmingly prefer to Age-In-Place, which means living in your home safely, independently, and comfortably, regardless of age or ability level.
Home modifications can be changed upfront or over time as the homeowner matures to increase access and maneuverability. Some of the modifications include bath and shower grab bars, adjusted countertop heights, first floor master bedroom and bathroom access, private elevators, widen doorways, and redesigned kitchens and baths.
Modifications can be made to meet the needs of the homeowner, while still preserving the beauty and function of the home. Fall prevention is the number one reason to make home modifications for an aging homeowner. Falls are the leading cause of death from injury among older adults. One third of those falls are directly related to environment hazards within the home. An important statistic is that falls are recurrent. 66% of fall victims will fall again within 6 months. So changes to the home need to be made swiftly to insure safety. Home modifications can minimize or eliminate fall hazards.
Today, the science behind Aging-In-Place has become so thorough, that a curriculum has been created and taught to insure key strategies and techniques for designing and building aesthetically enriching, barrier-free living environments. Certified Aging-In-Place specialists, such as Acadian House Kitchen & Bath, are graduates of the program and have pledged to uphold a code of ethics and are required to maintain their designations by attending continuing education programs on Aging-In-Place.
As home design evolves, mudrooms and laundry rooms are set to transform from purely functional spaces into stylish, versatile areas.
As we gear up for the highly anticipated Luncheon & Kitchen Tour benefiting the Bella Bowman Foundation, we are excited to introduce two of our generous Gold Sponsors: evamor and M&M Glass.
Jenna discusses her career change, her operational enhancements at Acadian House, how to scale and retain talent, and effective team management in the renovation industry.
