For aged between 50 and 80, it is highly desirable to live in their homes as long as possible. However, nearly half of them (47%) give little to no thought to modifying their living places. Such modifications should concern increasing home safety, first and foremost.

Why is a safe living place crucial for the elderly, and how can you make your home more secure to age in?

Let us answer those questions in turn.

Reasons for Extra Home Safety in Older Age

As many senior citizens are staying in place, in-home safety is an important topic that correlates to the quality of life in older adults as they age.

It contributes to the following:

• Supporting physical health
• Caring for mental well-being
• Achieving higher comfort in life
• Remaining independent longer
• Establishing peace of mind for the family

Noticeably, older people who live alone are more vulnerable to burglary, robbery, and fraud, based on . They are increasingly becoming victims of fraudsters. This is one of several reasons why designing a safer living space for an elderly person is a must.

How to Make Home Safe for a Senior

Implement these strategies to achieve aging-in-place security.

1.     Order a home safety assessment

How do you know what safety measures are lacking in your home? By conducting a home safety audit, of course.

According to Shawn Plummer, CEO of , 鈥渙ne of the health insurance plans in the US, namely Medicare Part B, provides coverage for home safety inspections. For some services, however, you might have to pay 20% of the price as a coinsurance fee for this inspection. It is possible to get a home safety evaluation for free during a 鈥榃elcome to Medicare鈥� preventive visit.鈥�

Alternatively, you may hire professionals to assess the safety level of the property. The cost of such a service varies from $150 to $500 depending on the property size and location.

Here鈥檚 a list of companies to consider:

• Age Safe America
• Home of Mine
• Live In Place
• Universal Home Consulting
• LivWell Seniors
• Home Safety Innovations

What if we told you that you can measure the elderly safety level of any home on your own with one single tool? It鈥檚 a rating system developed by Age Friendly Ireland for homeowners and tenants. It can be applied to any type of housing in an urban or rural area. .

2.     Create your aging-in-place checklist (or use a pre-made one)

Below, you can find a common checklist for an elderly-friendly living place with room-by-room safety and home accessibility upgrades:

鈼�&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫; Kitchen

A couple of things you may need to think about are pull-out shelves, grabber tools, spill-proof cups, timers on appliances, automatic turn-off devices, plasticware instead of glass, etc.

鈼�&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫; Bedroom

should include the following: an adjustable bed, a waterproof mattress protector, a bed rail, a bedside fall mat, a medication organizer, etc.

鈼�&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫; Bathroom

Consider some essential bathroom improvements for seniors like a right-height toilet, grab bars, non-slip mats, walk-in tub, shower chair, etc.

鈼�&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫; Living room

To improve home safety for aging in place, look for these items in and around the living room: supportive and sturdy furniture, well-lit pathways, uncluttered floors, lift chairs, transfer aids, stand assist handles, etc.

鈼�&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫; Corridor and entries

Here, a bench is a must-have to take on and off shoes. You may also need to widen doorways and install ramps to ensure an accessible home for seniors with walkers and wheelchairs.

Generally, some wise home safety solutions for older people are no-slip wax or strips on floors and grab bars in each room.

3.     Do all the necessary repairs and fixes

A broken staircase? Loose floorboards or popped nails in your hardwood floors? These are the most common home problems that increase the possibility of accidents.

鈥淚t鈥檚 also necessary to think beyond the rooms when you aim at making a home safer for seniors,鈥� recommends Tom Nolan, Founder of .

鈥淵ou may need to walk around the house to determine your home improvement needs. It may be a leaking roof, broken windows, clogged gutters, or other outside things that put your home at risk. In some cases, replacing a roof, door, or window is not enough, and you might have to remodel or renovate the house completely,鈥� he adds.

Home renovation projects are quite costly, yet, they are sometimes obligatory. You can finance property improvements with homeowner loans, personal loans, or home remortgaging.

4.     Remove potential hazards

In the , 65% of US adults claimed their parents鈥� homes have at least one potential safety issue.

It is worth noting that falls are a leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries for seniors. In fact, every 11 seconds, an older adult in the US is treated in an emergency room for falls.

Additionally, elderly pet owners face a higher risk of fall-related injury. If you are adding a pet to the home, undertake some extra home safety measures. Create a play zone for pets and find a dedicated space for pet toys, as well as feeding and watering accessories, to remove them from walkways.

Let鈥檚 look at some other possible threats to senior safety at home:

• Clutter
• Trip-and-fall items (cords, wires, small rugs, unstable furniture)
• Slippery surfaces (serious health hazards in your bathroom and kitchen due to spilled liquids or grease)
• Breakable things
• Sharp objects (knives, table corners)

Don鈥檛 forget about kitchen safety tips to prevent electrical fires. Kitchen fires kill about 480 people every year.

5.     Take care of proper lighting

鈥淚nstalling adequate lights is an important step for creating a safe home for a senior person,鈥� believes Jesse Galanis, Content Creator at .

鈥淥n the one hand, it reduces obstacles to mobility. On the other hand, you can鈥檛 deny the significance of proper lighting for elderly mental health. It can help seniors foster a pleasant home atmosphere, avoid depressive moods and anxiety, and improve sleep,鈥� he explains.

Yes, it鈥檚 all light. You can easily light your way to a better sleep and mood. Besides, you should understand the lighting needs of aging eyes. As many as aged 65+ have vision loss. As the eye ages, people often experience difficulties focusing on things, adapting from a darker to a brighter space and vice versa, and distinguishing colors.

Upgrade your lighting with these changes in mind: decrease reflections and shadows, make an easy light transition room-to-room, and pick the pleasant room colors (peach, terracotta, gold, brown, light green, or blue).

6.     Increase home safety with smart technologies

Why not make a property more secure with smart home technologies?

Take advantage of these:

• Security cameras
• Automatic door locks and lights
• Panic buttons or Personal Emergency Response Systems (PERS)
• Fall detection and glass break sensors
• Fire and flood monitoring technology
• Virtual assistants (Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant)

Smart home tech devices are indispensable tools for senior safety. Not to mention that they ease life for older people considerably.

Summarizing Home Safety Tips for the Elderly

The senior household safety strategies discussed in this article can serve as a comprehensive blueprint to create an environment that minimizes risks and maximizes the well-being of the elderly.

By implementing measures such as home safety audits, room-by-room checklists, home repairs, potential threat removal, adequate lighting, and smart home devices, you can age-proof your home and stay on the safest side of the life road.

Let your aging journey be happy and healthy!

The post 6 Actionable Tips to Increase Home Safety of Seniors appeared first on Blog | 皇冠体育app.

Before 1960, when urban development began, senior homebuyers had a difficult time locating builders that could meet their unique requirements or build to suit. Today, there are still plenty of retirees looking to find their forever home. Seeing how more and more people choose to grow older in their own homes, it’s imperative that these homes meet their particular needs. Luckily, the market offers many options to help senior homeowners to live a quality life. With that said,听let’s discuss the 7 features senior homebuyers should look for in a house.

1. Let There Be Light

Having a home with dim fixtures and small windows where you don’t get enough light might be okay for some people. However, various light sources are some of the most critical features older homebuyers should look for.听A dark home can be pretty dangerous as homeowners continue to age. Seeing obstacles as small as a pair of shoes or as big as pieces of furniture is imperative. This means that听the right real estate investment听is one that offers a well-lit interior as well as big windows that allow natural light to come in.

2. Purchase Bar Grips or Handrails

Six out of ten falls occur right inside a person’s home. This statistic should caution seniors and steer them in the direction of purchasing something that’ll help them avoid such accidents. Having bar grips in frequently used and slippery areas of your home is essential. This means that you should secure bathrooms or any place where there are stairs. Bar grips and handrails are undoubtedly features senior homebuyers should look for.

3. Open Floor Space

Smaller homes can be harder to navigate, especially if the home includes narrow hallways or tight corners. If your mobility isn’t excellent, or if anyone in the home frequently needs a walker or rollator,听an open floor space could be the most important out of all features听senior homebuyers should search for. Remember that听maximizing your space听is important, especially if you live in a cramped home.

4. Find Slip-Resistant Flooring

As you become older,听slips and falls become more common. As you stroll through each room of a potential property, look for slip-resistant flooring. This could be a specific sort of slip-resistant tile, vinyl, or just surfaces that increase friction between the floor and the foot.

5. Pay Attention to Toilet Height

Lower toilets can be hazardous, as they can induce slips and falls. They’re also inaccessible to wheelchair users. Bathrooms with elevated toilets are one of the features senior homebuyers should look for in a house. If needed, toilet replacement tends to be an inexpensive project, so there is likely room in the budget to hire someone to install new ones.

6. Get Easy-to-Grip Door Knobs

Lever-operated doors are easier to grip and open than knob-operated doors. Replacing every handle on every door may be time-consuming and costly, so听seek homes that already have handles fitted.

7. Skip Homes with Narrow Doors

Narrow doors carry the same risks as small living spaces. While furniture can be moved to allow a wide turning radius, doors are far less flexible. It’s best to听look for homes that already have wide doorways and halls.

Hiring Moving Companies

Once you choose the house you’ll be moving to,听make sure to relocate safely as well. There are a lot of ways moving companies can help seniors prepare for a move. Of course,听, no matter who it’s from. This means that you should always assist the elderly in your life with tasks as demanding as moving.

Honorable Mentions

Here are a few additional features that senior buyers should consider when searching for a new home.

• Good insulation

Extreme temperature fluctuations can be harmful to anyone, especially the elderly. Homebuyers should look for properties with the best air conditioning, heating, and insulation money can buy.

• The first floor should be convertible

Look for houses where you can live comfortably on the first floor, even if you plan to make use of the second story for a bedroom or office in the beginning.

• Ramps or elevators may be important

Consider whether a wheelchair can enter the front door when looking at houses. If that’s not possible, one of the features senior homebuyers may choose to look for is a ramp or elevator.

The post 7 Features Senior Buyers Should Look for in a House appeared first on Blog | 皇冠体育app.

Retirement societies are in a continual state of change all over the world. Whether helping people who live alone, in need of assisted living or memory care, or advancing to competent care, there is regular turnover regardless of the clients they represent.

Many buyers are likely to sell their house before making the move, while helping seniors plan a move from their long-time home to a senior neighborhood. Therein lays one of the greatest challenges to be tackled by any senior group sales agent.

Being a realtor is a respected career, especially if you are able to have an appreciation for the needs of older clientele. Since many seniors have not sold a house in years, even decades, the real estate agent needs the skills to direct them through the process of home purchases, but also the ability to explain what to expect and how to overcome challenges along the way.

In comparison, if your agent already has a team of service providers who can provide their customers solutions, their relevance to the senior practitioners in the industry improves even further. One stop shop… that’s what a lot of good realtors have.

The responsibilities of a realtor include more than just listing your house. Sometimes the senior client is downsizing a lifetime of treasures, they could have high-value antiques that would need to be reviewed. They also could need assistance in packaging and arranging, but hiring a competent planner will ease up this whole process for both the senior customer and the senior sales professional. Finding the go-to basement specialist, a roofer, contractor and more would not only make the process more feasible if there are renovations needed before sale, but it will also speed up the transition from the long-time home of the senior to a senior group home or senior community.

There is a noticeable focus on filling vacant apartments with continuous turnover in senior neighborhoods. A vast number of needs-driven movements are now taking shape… elderly who face a health setback and are no longer able to survive in their homes. Twelve months a year and with no warning, these movements happen. This suggests that the senior, their families and the senior group are all searching for support providers to assist them every step of the way. Since their house is always their main asset, and they seek to liquidate the asset to help pay for their treatment, in this process, the realtor becomes the most critical contact.

How many times in life do we have the luxury of delivering a service, touching lives in a positive way, and being paid to do so, enjoying a perfect work/life balance? That is what it will do for you to build your senior oriented niche real estate practice To learn more, check out . When doing something worthwhile and leading a quality life, we would love to help you expand your real estate practice.

The post Retirement Real Estate appeared first on Blog | 皇冠体育app.