THINK AHEAD
Planning renos early key to aging at home
Have baby boomers put their brains in neutral as their bodies hurtle down the highway toward old age?
While 83 per cent want to age in place by remaining in our homes, according to a 2013 Royal Bank of Canada survey, few are adapting those homes to accommodate inevitable challenges such as decreased mobility and failing eyesight. That can result in everything from simple difficulty in seeing a pale- coloured light switch to a potentially disastrous fall down the stairs.
“People often are not willing to make those changes until after an accident happens,” says Camille Munro, a registered occupational therapist and partner in Access Options. Established in 2015, the company helps seniors remain in their homes by assessing adaptation needs, assisting with funding applications for wheelchairs and devices, and advising on everything from fall prevention to accessing community services. It charges $ 400 for an inhome assessment that includes recommendations and a followup visit.
Munro’s business partner, Karen Gibson, understands our blind spots about aging. It’s hard for an active, healthy senior to imagine being anything other than that.
“So much attention goes to planning for retirement financially, but ( there’s) not a lot of information about what you might want to do to change your home so that it’s going to meet your needs as you get older.”
But with Statistics Canada fore- casting that those over 65 will jump from 15.3 per cent of the population in 2013 to more than 22 per cent by 2030, the need to investigate aging in place is growing rapidly.
Aging and a long- term disability propelled 69- year- old Richard ( he asked that his last name not be used) to adapt the split- level home he shares with his wife, Francine.
Because Richard had f allen several times and his mobility was decreasing, the couple considered condo life. But like many boomers, they found trading their 2,250- square- foot home of 35 years for an expensive, much smaller condo unappealing. So they contacted Munro, and between her and recommendations from Richard’s doctor, he’s added grab bars in the bathroom, a stair lift and other assistive devices.
Now, he says, “We can stay in our home at least 10 more years than we expected. I’m aging gracefully thanks to all these devices.”
Health Craft Products( healthcraft products. com) is among those selling devices. Its Invisia line of bathroom seating and grab bars is sleek and stylish, about the furthest thing from institutional you could imagine.
Even so, people resist such products because they associate them with hospitals, says HealthCraft president John O’Brien.
“The ridiculous part is that we’re accepting of a grab bar on our stairs. It’s called a ‘ railing.’”
At Next Step Transitions, roughly $ 5,000 will get you an installed
stair lift, grab bars in the bathroom and conversion of your bathtub shower for easier access. The latter involves cutting a U- shaped chunk out of the tub’s side to lower the threshold. A slide- in piece allows for conversion back to a full bath whenever you choose.
“As our mobility starts to decrease, a big hazard is lifting a leg in and out of a tub. That’s where a lot of falls happen,” says Next Step Transitions CEO Kyla Cullain. Her company provides other barrier- free construction services and works with nurses and occupational therapists to meet changing needs of clients who have progressive diseases, often an aspect of aging.
Bathrooms and stairs get a lot of attention when planning for ag- ing in place, but kitchens are also critical. Counters with space underneath for a wheelchair, stoves with accessible controls, drawers instead of shelves in lower cabinets: all can make life less of a challenge as mobility diminishes.
However, costs for kitchen transformations can mount quickly and spiral out of control when added to other renovations.
That’s one reason Robert Howlett, who works for lift- device specialists Silver Cross, sounds a cautionary note about aging in place. Although a proponent of chair lifts and other basic modifications, he says to think carefully about big- ticket items such as elevators that have limited appeal when you have to sell.
“I don’t think people will modify their homes to the extent that the market once thought they would,” he says.
He’d like to see barrier- free rental apartments being built as a transition between the family home and a retirement residence. Whether that ever happens re-
mains to be seen.
In the meantime, governments provide some financial assistance to defray the costs of aging in place, but it’s not generous. Community services such as transportation to medical appointments can also support aging homeowners.
Bottom line: Aging in place can happen. Get a professional home assessment done. Compare the cost of renovations to a berth in a retirement home. And if you opt to stay in your home, start the renovations well before you need them.