The best way to enjoy your golden years is right at home. This is particularly true if your home is now in a popular area with plenty of shops, restaurants, and cultural things to do. The last thing you want is to move into a new place that you have no connections to unless you have to.
So if you’ve paid off your home and can comfortably handle the costs with your retirement budget, it’s time to look to the future. These home upgrades will help you successfully and confidently age in place:
1. Upgrade Your Shower
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One of the best ways you can upgrade your home while simultaneously making it easier to age in place is by upgrading your shower rooms. If you have tub-showers, or if your shower has a lip, upgrade it. You can create luxury walk-in showers that look absolutely beautiful and are simultaneously ready for the second you start experiencing any sort of mobility problem.
2. Plan Out Stair Strategies Now
You may still be able to easily climb and descend stairs, but it is a must to start planning how you will keep traversing that which you’ll be doing in the future. If your stairs are wide enough, for example, you could get a stair lift, but this won’t always be an option.
For example, if your front door is elevated, you’ll need an alternative solution, such as a wheelchair lift, installed so you can continue to comfortably get in and out of your home.
Knowing and planning in advance can ensure you:
- Know what options you have based on the space available
- Know the average price in advance to help you save up in advance
If you already experience difficulty when using the stairs, invest in one of these solutions early. This way, you can seamlessly transition from walking to using one of these mobility solutions without waiting.
3. Smart Home
A smart home is such a great way to easily age in place. Smart home features can:
- Help you heat and cool your home more efficiently to save money.
- Enable voice-activated smart devices, allowing you to open/close curtains, turn on your TV, and a host of other things through voice control.
- Motion-sensor nightlights can ensure you can always easily see where you are going.
- You can reduce your water waste without a lot of effort with automatic shut-off valves.
- Smart lights can enable automatic switching on and off around the room.
4. Invest in Pull-Down Shelves
Every cupboard and shelf that’s above eye level should be fitted with a pull-down bracket. This way, you can easily continue to reach objects high up on the shelf with absolute ease. To do this, you’ll need to measure your shelf and buy the right pull-down shelf based on those measurements (or have one custom-made. If doing this yourself, take the shelf out of the cupboard, mark the mounting points, and screw the unit in. Voila! You have a shelf you can easily pull down.
5. Bonus: Wearable Health Trackers
Wearable health trackers are not exactly a home improvement, but they can play a crucial role on successful ageing in place. They routinely check your health indicators and alert you if there is any significant change, particularly if they are becoming more heightened than normal which you can attend your doctor at an early stage rather than when it turns dangerous.
