Lifespan Home Modifications

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Home modification means changing existing living spaces to meet the needs of people with physical or cognitive limitations so they can continue living independently and safely. Modifications can range from simply adding grab bars or making lighting improvements to major home remodeling or new additions. People usually become aware of the need for home modifications when an incident or series of incidents occur. Events like returning home to recuperate following hospitalization or noticing that a parent is falling frequently or receiving fewer visits from older friends and family members often alert people to a home’s limitations.

Our home modifications usually have one or more of the following specific goals:

- Prepare a home for the future long-term needs of the family

- Reduce injuries from home accidents so people can live safer, fulfilling and enjoyable lives, reduce healthcare costs and delay or eliminate the need for institutionalization

- Provide a supportive environment that makes daily tasks easier

- Make home health care easier and reduce the risk of injuries to caregivers

- Welcome friends and relatives to a more accessible home

- Ensure that home modifications add value to the home for future resale

See the links below for more about home modifications.

“Carol's Home Modification” video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7CwcK4uQZA

Fairbanks Senior Center Helping Hands Home Modifications program   

https://fairbanksseniorcenter.org/programs-services/helping-hands/

“Home Maintenance Modification and Repair” program Lake County Ohio Council on Aging

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioIWBPDgXAo

“Home Modifications Increase Senior Safety" Angie's List

https://www.angieslist.com/articles/home-modifications-increase-senior-safety.htm

National Resource Center on Supportive Housing and Home Modification

http://homemods.org/

Universal Design refers to products and living environments that are usable by everyone to the greatest extent possible regardless of a person’s age or ability. Examples of Universal Design are everywhere yet we seldom notice them. Opening a door using a levered handle is easier than using a round doorknob whether you are a person with arthritis or carrying a child. Spaces without stairs, steps or raised thresholds are easier to navigate whether you are using mobility aids like a walker or wheelchair or you are pushing a stroller or rolling luggage.

We use Universal Design planning principles, building products and installation techniques to make new homes and existing rooms or spaces that are safe and accessible as well as aesthetically appealing and functional. This approach guarantees that our projects work well for a wide variety of people with different needs over long periods of time.

See the links below for more about Universal Design.

RL Mace Universal Design Institute “Older Adults” resources and information

https://www.udinstitute.org/olderadults

BUILDER Online “The Invisibly Universal House”

http://www.builderonline.com/design/the-invisibly-universal-house_o

Houzz Universal Design idea books

http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/Universal-Design

“Universal design home tips” video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhW2nfozW9k

“Aging in Place with Universal Design” video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8CaQ1417JI

Arlington County Commission On Aging - “Universal Design: Homes For All Ages”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4sRwsIED6o

Aging-In-Place refers to the ability to live in your own home and community safely, independently and comfortably, regardless of age, income or ability. It provides a wide range of community-based services to older adults living in their own home rather than group or institutional settings. Typical services include assistance with housekeeping, laundry, errands, grocery shopping, meals, prescription delivery, home health care, medication reminders and caregiving. Aging-In-Place also includes housing services like remodeling contractors, handymen, carpenters, plumbers and electricians with experience doing home modifications that address the specific needs of older adults.

As National Association of Home Builders Certified-Aging-In-Place Specialists, we look for simple low-cost modifications that make homes work better for people experiencing age-related changes. These often include improving lighting, providing at least one step-free entrance to a home, adding stair handrails, supplying slip-resistant flooring, specifying accessible kitchen appliances or installing height-adjustable hand-held showerheads. Simple modifications like these help people adapt to changes in vision, hearing, mobility, dexterity, stamina and cognition without changing their quality of life.

See the links below for more about Aging-In-Place.

AARP HomeFit Guide

https://www.aarp.org/livable-communities/info-2014/aarp-home-fit-guide-aging-in-place.html

Alaska Cooperative Extension Service “Aging In Place in Alaska” video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8wXqWTqO2k

Better Living Design Institute tour “A Retirement Home For All Ages”

https://www.betterlivingdesign.org/retirement-home-for-all-ages

“Home Solutions for Aging in Place” video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBq8W7t22l0&feature=fvwrel

National Association of Home Builders - Find a Certified-Aging-In-Place Specialists

https://www.nahb.org/nahb-community/nahb-directories/professionals-with-home-building-designations-directory#sort=%40lastname%20ascending&f:Designation=[CAPS]&f:State=[AK]