For an increasing number of families, grandma’s home is right down the hall. Rapidly rising housing prices are persuading multiple generations of families to move in together. This multigenerational home trend is furthered by the fact that many older Americans aren’t anxious to move into assisted-living facilities—even when they can no longer live safely on their own.
But converting a family home into a place where grandparent, child and grandchild all can live safely and happily often requires more than just changing a spare room into a grandparent’s bedroom. Home modifications might be needed for the older family member to live safely and for everyone to get along.
April Grimaldi, founder of Multigenerational Home Modifications, recommends consulting with an occupational therapist or physical therapist certified in home modifications to determine which home modifications make the most sense for a specific home and family. Among the moves that might be beneficial…
Three Ways to Make Bathrooms Safer
Bathroom slips and falls are a safety risk that only grows as we get older. But there are easy and inexpensive ways to reduce this danger…
Increase toilet seat height
Toilets typically position their users 14 inches above floor level…but older users may have an easier time getting up and down from 17-to19-inch-high toilet seats. You don’t necessarily need to replace your toilets—there are toilet seat risers that can be used with existing toilets to achieve this height.
Related: Some seniors find it easier to sit than stand in the shower—but a shower chair is safe only if it is of an appropriate size and adjusted to an appropriate height for its user. The shower needs to be assessed by a therapist who will evaluate the safety of the shower chair or tub transfer bench and determine what other features may be needed. A shower chair is commonly used in a walk-in shower, and a tub transfer bench in a tub/shower combo.
Install the right type of grab bars
A good grab bar can reduce risk for bathroom falls. Unfortunately, many grab bars cannot be counted on to support a person’s weight and eventually fail, increasing the odds of dangerous falls. Avoid any grab bar that uses suction cups to attach to the wall…as well as those labeled “assistance” grab bars. The only type of grab bar that can be trusted are those that are labeled “ADA compliant” and installed according to their instructions by someone who is licensed and insured and specializes in home modifications.
Upgrade bathroom lighting
Increased illumination improves situational awareness, decreasing slip-and-fall risk. There are several inexpensive ways to make bathrooms brighter, including switching to higher-wattage bulbs…swapping a dark shower curtain for a translucent or white one…and/or selecting window curtains that allow plenty of natural light to enter. Motion sensor-triggered nightlights are a valuable addition to bathrooms, too. Pricier bathroom illumination options: Adding light sources, and switching to lighter-colored paint or flooring. But remember—additional lighting doesn’t always improve vision. In fact, increased bulb wattage might create glare. Related: The walls of a bathroom—or any other room—should not be the same color and tone as the floor. Contrast between these surfaces helps people situate themselves in the space.
Four Accessibility Strategies
Getting to certain parts of a home can become increasingly challenging as people age. To minimize this issue…
Take steps to avoid steps
Stairs can be a challenge for older legs. Even if the older family member still can climb staircases when he/she moves in, this could become troublesome as the years pass. If possible, older household members should have bedrooms on the ground floor and a way into the home that doesn’t require climbing any steps. If that’s not feasible given the home’s layout, an electric stairlift might be needed and/or nonslip ramps for short flights of stairs.
Rearrange kitchen cabinets
Any pots, pans, dishes and other kitchen items the older member of the household uses regularly should be positioned on shelves and in cabinets that this person can easily access without bending or stretching—bending down is a common cause of falls. If there’s one pot or pan he/she uses frequently, this could even be left permanently on the stovetop.
Replace doorknobs with levers
Knobs can be tricky to operate for people struggling with arthritis, a common issue as people age. Similarly, small cabinet door pulls could be replaced with handles of sufficient size that an entire hand can fit behind them.
Add entryway tables
Position a small, sturdy table or cabinet just outside and just inside any entryway that older family members use regularly. These provide a place to temporarily place items while opening the door or searching for keys. Related: Entryways should have bright lighting—motion detector lights are one option.
Three Ways to Boost Quality of Life
Among the ways to make living under the same roof more pleasant for all the members of the household…
Provide private space
If your home layout and budget allow, create an independent living unit for an older family member rather than just a private bedroom. This space might have its own entrance and a private bathroom, for example. Such arrangements can balance the advantages of living together with a degree of privacy and freedom. But achieving this might require significant home renovations, perhaps even having an addition built or converting a garage into living space.
Soundproof
One common complaint when multiple generations share a home is that it’s tough to escape each other’s noise. The more soundproofing you add to the home, the lower the odds this will become a major issue. One relatively simple soundproofing step: Replace conventional hollow bedroom doors with solid wood doors. Adding insulation in interior walls can help, too. Alternatively, it’s sometimes possible to assign bedrooms in a way that minimizes noise complaints.
Add seating that offers some height
Getting up and down from standard-height chairs and couches can become increasingly difficult as legs age. A household member who’s finding this challenging should have a chair at every table of sufficient height so that he can sit with a 90-degree hip angle…knees no higher than hip height…and feet not dangling. Such seats are relatively easy to get out of, especially if they have armrests—armrests let people use arm power along with leg power to lift themselves up. This older family member also should have a comfortable seat in the family room or living room into which he won’t sink too deeply…with armrests that aren’t much more than shoulder-width apart—wider armrests can cause shoulder strain when used to help oneself up. A motorized sit/stand chair is an option, but the motorized assistance shouldn’t be used any more than necessary. Overuse could accelerate muscle loss and leave the older person even less able to get up from chairs without assistance.
Four More Safety Strategies
Additional home modifications that can decrease older residents’ risk…
Remove area rugs
Throw rugs are among the worst slip-and-fall hazards in the typical home—they’re particularly problematic for people who use walkers.
Train and contain pets
Dogs and cats can cause falls when they get underfoot. To reduce this risk, pets either must be trained to not get underfoot…or there should be gates or other devices to restrict pets to certain rooms as needed.
Obtain an emergency alert system
Older residents need a dependable way to summon help when necessary. A wide range of smartwatches, pendants and other wearable devices can alert other members of the family to falls or provide communication at the push of a button when needed. The Apple Smartwatch is one option. These wearable devices often require reliable Wi-Fi to function properly.
Unclutter floors
Anything that’s on the floor is a trip-and-fall risk. Related: If a member of the household uses a walker or wheelchair, it might be necessary to remove furniture from narrow hallways or even widen doorways.
