3 Changes To Consider Making To The Exterior Of Your Home If You Plan To Age In Place
As you get older, it is only natural to start thinking about what your golden years will be like. Will you move in with a relative? Will you go to a nursing home? If you are like a lot of aging seniors, the preference will be to grow older and spend your final chapter right in the home you are now in. This is often referred to as aging in place or aging at home, and definitely has its advantages.
However, to successfully age at home, you must make changes now to ensure your house is capable of supporting you as your needs change. Here are a few things to consider changing about the exterior of your home if you plan to age in place as you get older.
Get rid of stairs on porches and have low-incline concrete ramps installed.
Mobility issues are natural as you get older, which means you could have to rely on a walker, cane, or even a wheelchair at some point to get around. Therefore, stairs on the exterior of your home can be pretty problematic if you want to age at home. Look at the porches you have on your home. If they have only stairs to access them, go ahead and get rid of those stairs and have low-incline concrete ramps installed. Wooden ramps work, but they are a much more temporary solution that will have to be replaced every little bit to remain structurally sound.
Have concrete walkways installed leading to exterior property points for easy access.
Perhaps you have a detached garage, a garden area, or even a tool shed that you frequently access on your property. This may be no issue at the moment, but if mobility problems come into play later, you will need a more solid surface to walk on to get to these exterior property points.
Level out sloped driveway areas leading to your home or garage for your safety.
A sloped driveway or pathway to your home can pose particular challenges as you get older. Slopes can make it more difficult for you to climb and navigate, but can also put you at risk of a fall if you do get to where you have problems with mobility. Therefore, it is best to eliminate the sloped areas you will have to use regularly to get into your house. This can be accomplished by working with a concrete contractor to create more level driveways and entrance points by building up concrete and materials to do so.
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