How homeowners are preparing to grow old in their homes

While some homeowners choose to downsize or move to an assisted living facility as they age, many wish to remain in their homes for as long as they can.

How can homeowners prepare their homes to be accessible to them as they grow older? HomeAdvisor recently released results of their annual survey, and learned, most importantly, homeowners do not like the term “aging in place,” even as they update their homes with features to assist them as they grow older in their properties.

The most common issue aging homeowners faced in their homes is tripping or falling, resulting in injury, according to 41 percent. Thirty-seven percent said it took them longer to do simple tasks, thanks to steps and high cabinets, and 36 percent reported they had to rely on others to do daily activities.

The majority of homeowners 75 and older (46 percent) renovated their home in anticipation of their needs as they aged, while 23 percent reported they stayed in their home without renovating, due to time and/or expense. The most popular projects for homeowners in this age group include replacing appliances, adding pullout shelves in kitchen cabinets and changing doorknobs to lever handles. Less than one-third reported having difficulties in their homes as they have aged.

For those 55 to 75, the most popular projects were adding pullout shelves to kitchen cabinets, changing doorknobs to lever handles and changing tile or stone to wood or carpet.

About 60 percent of respondents aged 55 to 75 said they had seen a loved one have difficulties in their homes as they grew older, leading many of them to begin making changes in their homes.