Explore below to see five changes you can make to your house or assisted living apartment that target common challenges seniors face. Also check out resources available here in Kansas City, MO, that may help you identify opportunities and pay for home modifications.

Where to Start

Many potential home modifications are available to consider. To decide where to begin, think over your daily routine and pinpoint activities that aren't as easy as they used to be.

Once you've targeted problem areas, you'll have an excellent foundation on which to build a safe living environment. Here are five changes you may wish to consider.

1. Grab Bars

Grab bars are one of the first lines of defense against slips and falls. They offer leverage when transferring between a seated and a standing position, helping you maintain your balance.

For this reason, you often see grab bars in bathrooms near toilets and showers, although it can be just as beneficial to install them beside a bed or a favorite chair. To ensure they work correctly, grab bars should always be installed directly into studs and never attached to sheetrock or by suction cups.

There are also many aesthetically pleasing grab bars on the market. Featuring attractive shapes, these stylish models come in a variety of finishes to match and enhance your current decor.

2. Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors

Smoke alarms are a standard feature in many homes, but you'll get the best results from a model targeting your unique needs. For example, a detector with a loud alert or flashing light is ideal for those who are hard of hearing.

Several detector models include spoken instructions in a friendly voice that can help you react calmly and exit the building quickly. There are also combination alarm and bed shaker units that can rouse heavy sleepers during an emergency.

You should select a detector with a long-lasting LED battery or install the unit within arm's reach. This can help ensure your home is protected without the need for climbing on ladders to handle a low-battery alert.

3. Handles and Switches

Arthritis and other health issues impair hand function and make it harder to grasp round door knobs and cabinet pulls. Switching out the hardware for levers and D-shaped handles allows individuals with low grip strength to maneuver doors.

Similarly, bathroom and kitchen faucets with levers or smooth-turn handles ensure you can quickly adjust water temperature and flow. Tub spouts with pull-down diverters can also be replaced with lever or pull-up units.

To make it easier to access lighting, consider adding touch-based lamps to your home or using lamp switch enlargers with your existing lights. You may also wish to use illuminated light switch plates to eliminate fumbling for the switch in the dark.

4. Lighting

As your eyes age, it naturally becomes harder to perceive distance and distinguish between colors. It also becomes more difficult to see in dim or shadowed rooms and to adjust to sudden changes in light levels.

These symptoms are a natural part of aging, and modifying the lighting in your home can make a significant difference in your quality of life. A few simple ways to improve lighting include:

• Boosting ambient lighting with windows and overhead lights
• Adding floor lamps to decrease shadows
  
  
• Installing task lighting in the kitchen
  
  
• Mounting lights on the sides of bathroom mirrors
  
  
• Using lampshades and matte paint on walls to reduce glare

5. Smart Interior Decorating

Besides increasing lighting, you can boost safety and independence through thoughtful choices in decor. For example, using light-colored sheets in a bed with a dark wooden frame makes it easier to distinguish between the two.

In the same fashion, a living room with a beige wall, brown flooring and blue chairs may be easier to navigate for some older adults. On the other hand, a monochrome kitchen with gray walls, cabinets and floor tiles could be disorienting.

Try to avoid furniture, wallpaper, rugs and floors with complex patterns and high-contrast colors. These may create optical illusions that can cause dizziness and make it difficult to gauge where to walk or sit.

Expert Help

Adapting your living space for mobility can be as straightforward as removing clutter and tripping hazards from the floor or adding non-skid strips to stairs. Although minor, these steps can greatly reduce the potential for falls.

Large-scale projects, such as installing handrails or a walk-in shower, may seem costly and tempting to put off until they are unavoidable. However, you aren't alone in your efforts to live safely. There are many resources available in Missouri to help older adults afford home modifications.

Organizations, such as the Area Agency on Aging and the Kansas City Fire Department, have programs available to help seniors and their families identify and neutralize home hazards.