How to Make an Apartment Safer for Aging in Place
Posted in Senior Health Care Tips
The numbers are in and it is official: aging in place remains a goal for the vast majority of older adults. A recent AARP survey found that 77 percent of adults aged 50 and older would prefer to remain in their long-time home as they age.
This practice, known as “aging in place,” offers older adults a slew of benefits, including the comfort of familiar surroundings, minimal changes to daily routines, and the ability to stay within a community where ties to friends, family, and medical care providers can remain undisturbed.
While many of the goals and benefits of aging in place center on minimal change, the truth is that the natural effects of the aging process may necessitate some changes around the home to ensure a safe and sustainable environment. Most notably, natural changes to our sense of balance, vision, and manual dexterity can contribute to an increased risk of falling, and the impacts of a household fall can have significant, lasting effects on an individual’s long-term medical outlook. 
Fortunately, a small amount of planning and household preparation can go a long way towards making a home the ideal setting for long-term living. Read on to learn how.
Improved lighting
As we age, the amount of light we need to safely navigate can increase significantly. To lower the risk of household falls, consider replacing traditional bulbs with brighter LED lighting. Not only will this make the home easier to navigate, but require less frequent bulb changes and lower your household energy usage. Also, consider adding freestanding lamps and other lighting fixtures to darker corners of a living space to further reduce fall hazards.
When updating lighting, it may be wise to also consider tying a home’s lighting system to either motion sensors, or a voice-activated device. This upgrade means a resident will not need to navigate a dark room to reach a light source, and ensures they can see their surroundings after waking.
Safer flooring
Many “high end” flooring materials can greatly contribute to a higher risk of slips and falls. Materials like ceramic or porcelain tiles, natural stone, bamboo, and high-gloss hardwood floors might look beautiful, but can become extremely slippery when wet and present an extremely hard surface in the event of a fall, potentially increasing the risk of serious injury.
When preparing a home for aging in place, consider replacing these materials with softer, less slippery options like cork, linoleum, vinyl, or low-pile carpeting. These materials provide better traction and are generally softer.
Additionally, consider moving away from high-pile carpeting and area rugs. High-traffic areas on high-pile rugs tend to wear down and matte faster, resulting in uneven surfaces. Meanwhile, the edges of area rugs can catch a resident’s foot and present a significant trip hazard. Even if an area rug is tacked to the ground or has a slip-resistant pad beneath, these can wear and become less effective over time.
Remove clutter and create clear paths
While the comfort of familiar furnishings and belonging is one of the benefits of aging-in-place, a small amount of downsizing can make a home significantly safer.
Consider moving (or removing) furniture and other belongings in high-traffic areas to create safe, unobstructed paths that allow access to all parts of the home. Ideally, these paths should be at least 36 inches wide, to allow for commonly-used mobility devices like walkers or wheelchairs – doing so before these devices are part of a resident’s life means they will not need to worry about redesigning every room with the added challenge of using a mobility aid.
Take particular care with power cords and other cables common in a modern household. Ideally, any cables or cords should be run along the baseboards of the room and secured in place.
Finally, avoid storing items directly on the floor. Not only does floor storage force a resident to bend low to get to their items, but floor-stored items may not be tucked away fully and present significant fall hazards. Ideally, all regularly-used items should be stored at a height between the resident’s knees and nose to promote easy access and minimize strain when accessing these items.
Level thresholds
One of the most common sources of household falls is the space between two rooms. Many door thresholds have a slight rise to better manage drafts, but conversely present a sometimes unexpected change in elevation that can throw off a resident’s sense of balance or catch their foot at an inopportune time.
Thresholds can also present a significant risk if the home has a walk-in shower, as the combination of wet, slippery surfaces combined with a slight rise can contribute significantly to fall risks. Upgrading to a “curbless” walk-in shower design might be a costly project, but the cost pales in comparison to those associated with a serious household fall.
Furniture selection and placement
Apartments have a tendency to collect furniture over time, but old pieces rarely leave the home, resulting in a more cluttered space, or a selection of furniture that may not be conducive to long-term use as the resident’s mobility changes.
When considering an aging-in-place plan, take time to assess the current selection of furniture and see what can be removed to promote easier movement through the home.
Additionally, consider the remaining furniture and if it will be sustainable in the context of fall prevention. Extremely low, deep, high, or shallow seats can all complicate the process of sitting down or rising from a seated position, while unsteady or unbalanced furniture can tip at a critical moment if used for support.
When considering household furniture, a small amount of planning can go a long way towards making a more sustainable living space. Chairs or loungers with power-assisted tilt and lift features can significantly lower fall risks when entering or exiting a piece of furniture. Meanwhile, chairs with power-assisted reclining or position-changing features can allow a resident to rest comfortably without moving from living room to bedroom, or allow them to find a more comfortable resting position.
We hope you found this small guide helpful as you consider the benefits and challenges of aging in place. Our team of home health care experts has decades of experience helping older adults live comfortably and confidently in their long-time homes.
To learn more about how SelectCare helps, call SelectCare today, request a free in-home care guide, or read testimonials from our clients and their loved ones.