When you reach a certain age, you may find that the home that you once loved has become a dangerous place for you. Stairs you’ve climbed countless times will suddenly seem insurmountable, and simply bathing can become a treacherous task.
But you don’t have to find all of this out the hard way. If you plan ahead, you can convert your home to a senior-ready space while it’s still easy to do so. Manage the improvements while you’re still mobile, and you’ll enjoy a safer senior life (and perhaps even a longer one!).
Rearrange your life
Moving out of a top-floor bedroom can be a tough thing to do – after all, you love your space! But it’s a lot less depressing if you do it ahead of time, creating a bond with your new space that doesn’t feel so closely associated with necessity or lack of mobility.
So take a critical look at your space and imagine how you might use it if every step took a bit more effort. Can you live entirely on your ground floor? Is it time to consider a move into a more manageable space? Doing this ahead of time will help you avoid the stress that comes with a later-in-life move.
Create a free and mobile space
Once you’ve decided on where you’ll live, it’s time to look at how you’ll get around your space. New installation and key renovations we’ll help, and we’ll get to those in a moment. But here’s another thing to consider: you need to make sure that you have plenty of room to get around!
As we age, we’re not quite as agile as we used to be. That means we’ll need wide open spaces to move around. We’ll want to avoid potential tripping hazards, too. So take the time while you’re still strong to rearrange your space for optimal mobility. Tape down wires, and consider moving excess possessions to a storage unit to clear up space!
Protect yourself with key improvements
Finally, you’ll want to look at key installations and improvements that can make your life easier and safer as a senior. Take a close look at potential danger areas like your bathroom and bedroom, and see what you can do to make thing safer! A walk-in tub can make bathing simpler, and it’s easy to use even before you need it. Why wait until you’re desperate to get it installed? The same goes for stairlifts, ramps, and other improvements that will make your space safer for you as you grow older.
If you invest in these improvements now, you’ll avoid having to take on big projects when you’re older and less mobile. Take care of things ahead of time, and your long and happy senior life will be a lot simpler.