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Future-fitting your home
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December 28, 1999: 10:36 a.m. ET
Adapting your home to prepare for old age doesn't have to break the bank
By Staff Writer Shelly K. Schwartz
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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - If the concept of being carted off to a senior living facility during your Golden Years leaves a bad taste in your mouth, you're not alone.
The American Association of Retired Persons reports that 84 percent of adults say they'd prefer to stay in their own homes when they reach old age and never leave, a number that has remained constant since 1986.
"It's especially the baby boomers, who are coming along in age, who are saying ‘I'm not old and I don't want to be old and I don't ever want to go into a senior center,’" said Leon Harper, senior housing specialist for AARP's consumer division.
If you take steps now, however, you may never have to.
"The concept of universal design, that is, the designing of products and environments so they are useable to the maximum number of age groups, is exciting because it makes your home more livable," Harper said. "We are trying to move [the thought process] back 25 or 30 years and say, 'do these things now to make it easier for you now and later on in life.'"
Universal design
The advantages of universal design are many, advocates say.
For starters, the money you spend "future-fitting" your home to prepare for old age, whether for yourself or an elderly parent. can dramatically extend the number of years you can comfortably remain in your own home.
Depending on your abilities, you may never have to leave.
That, in turn, can save you a bundle, since full-care assisted living facilities (in some markets) can cost you anywhere from $3,000 to $8,000 a month. Needless to say, that can be a serious drain on your bank account.
"That industry is really geared toward high-income individuals," Harper said. "If you're in the low-income or middle-income category, you'd run out of money pretty quickly. You might have to sell off your assets and eventually you'd have to move out (and rely on public assistance)."
By spending a little money to upgrade your home instead, you not only get to stay put longer, but you'll also be able to spend your retirement money the way you see fit.
That may include hiring a home health-care provider on occasion, donating money to charity or simply passing your savings on to loved ones.
"We have been promoting the whole concept of universal design for a few years now because all the research indicates that older adults have no intention of moving, so the logical thing is to come up with a way that enables them to remain in the home where they have their roots and where it's most cost effective," said Judith Miley, a champion of universal design and president of Jemarco Inc., a communications firm.
"Adapting a home so that it functions well for a couple as their capacities change, or as an elderly parent moves in, is a very smart and proactive thing to do," she said.
Coming of age
In many cases, future-fitting your home can require a simple series of inexpensive projects, like adding more lighting or installing a safety bar in the bathtub.
For larger jobs, like widening door frames for wheelchair use, updating the kitchen for easier accessibility, or converting a downstairs office into a bedroom, the price tag can climb. But even then, insiders say making your home old-age friendly still often will run you less than $10,000.
(That figure, of course, depends on the market and the work being done.)
"[Demand for universal design renovations] has gone up," said Tom Pendleton, president of Pendleton Homes and Remodeling in McLean, Va., an award winning renovator who specializes in universal design. "No one even thought about it 15 years ago, but today it's definitely a consideration. It's climbed from almost nothing. "
In the mid-1980s, Pendleton said, roughly 2 percent of his clients requested renovations that prepped their homes for older age. Today, it makes up close to 40 percent of his business.
Keeping it reasonable
If you're wondering where to get started, AARP and the National Association of the Remodeling Industry have plenty of suggestions.
A few big hits in the universal design arena these days are grab bars in the bathroom, press-on and/or motion sensor light switches, lever controlled door knobs and carpets with a tight weave, like Berber, since they help prevent tripping.
"That can make a real difference, especially for people who have gotten more feeble and maybe don't lift their feet as high anymore," Pendleton said.
Statistically, he noted, the average 80-year-old needs 10 times as much light to see the same thing as an 18-year-old.
"Older people just need more light," Pendleton said, adding that any new lighting that's installed should not cast a glare on surfaces. "That's something we always recommend."
A few other ideas: hand-held shower heads, dual-sided banisters on the stairways, adjustable countertops and an extra phone in the bathroom (in case of accidents). Also, if you or your spouse is confined to a wheelchair, you may want to consider installing doors that slide into the wall, from left to right.
"There's a lot of stuff people can do to their homes that's not really that expensive," said NARI spokesman Brett Martin. "The elderly tend to spend more time at home than any other demographic group, so it's a good investment for them to upgrade, or retrofit their homes anyway."
If cost is a concern, however, keep in mind that you can do many of these smaller projects yourself for a fraction of the cost. If you need a little instruction, most of the big-name hardware stores these days, including Home Depot and Lowe's, hold free do-it-yourself classes.
Lastly, you can always call AARP at 800-424-3410 to ask for a free copy of their brochure entitled "How Well Does Your Home Fit Your Needs."
The brochure walks you through your own house and tells you how to evaluate, step-by-step, what it needs to make it more accessible to the elderly.
You also can request it by writing to:
AARP Fulfillment
601 E Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20049
Miley said the key to universal design is to get started early. That way, you can better afford the renovations and it won't seem like such a large project to tackle.
"It's something you can take a bite out of over the next five years," she said. "When people start talking about remodeling, it sounds like tons of money and mess. But if you talk about adapting a home so it functions better now, you won't have to bring in a whole team of remodelers later on, when you are least financially and physically able to cope with it." 
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