Finding the Perfect House for the Aging/Elderly

Are you looking for a house and you feel you are too old to be bothered cleaning a 3,000 square foot house? Are you an elderly person looking for an easier lifestyle? As you get older you may get to a point where you want to kick back and relax. You may want to move to a different area, a different house, or even go to a retirement community. Here are a few tips on how to find and fix that perfect house.

As your body changes so does your needs and wants. That mansion on the hill may be beautiful, but you no longer wish to live there. Who would plow the snow, maintain the house, and clean? You certainly do not want to be doing that while there are so many other things you can be doing for fun. As you get older, it will be a struggle to manage those things.

Look for a smaller house. The smaller the better. You may want to get a one or two bedroom home. There will be fewer rooms to keep clean and a shorter distance to the bathroom. If you think you will have company, a two bedroom is just enough room to have a guest.

The house that you turn into your home should also be in a community, or surrounded by other people. As you get older you will not be able to drive as much as you want and you might appreciate a helpful neighbor. You might also like someone looking in on you from time to time, just in case you fall or need help.

If you are looking for a house in a "retirement community" make a list of the questions you have before meeting with them. Find out if they serve food or if the resident makes their own food. You may want to know if the community is set up like a hotel where each resident has their own privacy, or if it is like townhouses where each house is connected with full privacy.

One of the most important rooms in any house is the kitchen. For the aging, there are several things you want to take into consideration. Is the storage space able to be reached by the resident? You do not want to use chairs to get down pots and pans and have an accident.

While in the kitchen, consider if the stove and sink are easily accessible. What if the person was in a wheelchair? Could the resident still take care of themselves? Another consideration for the sink is whether or not the faucet has easy knobs or handles that someone with arthritis could easily use. While you are thinking of knobs and handles check the cabinets. Are they easily opened? If you have rheumatoid arthritis and your fingers are crooked, could you open the cabinet?

The kitchen is a vital part of living. If it is not a user friendly kitchen, before making an offer on the house consider the cost of a remodel. Another room that often has to be remodeled is the bathroom. Check the bathroom for utilization.

The bathroom is a room that most accidents happen in. Check it for safety features such as handrails. You may want a handrail bar in the bathroom to assist with sitting on the toilet. Is there any room in the bathroom to put one? How about the tub or shower, does it have a handrail? Is the shower easily accessible? As you get older, you may not be able to raise your leg over the sides of the tub. Is it possible to put a shower into the bathroom or switch out the tub? You will also want to check the bathroom sink. Can it easily be turned on and off? Life does not have to be a struggle when you are older. There are many products to help.

When looking for the perfect house for the elder in your life, you need to keep in mind steps are a big no-no. People do not think about the steps to get into a home if the house in one story. Even one story homes can sometime have steps leading up to them. If the house does have steps, does it also have a ramp? Can the steps be turned into a ramp?

Another place to look for walking hazards is the ground. If you want your elder to stay active in the community, he or she will need to be able to get out of their house. The ground should be level for easy and safe walking. Check for holes or low spots. If the ground slopes, is it gradual? Make sure there are not a lot of rocks someone could trip on. What about the driveway? Is it free of holes and slopes? Is it a paved driveway? Consider the cost for paving the driveway as well.

Maintenance is extremely important when you own a home. You will want to get a house with the least maintenance. A block home or even a home with siding is usually easy to take care of. Eventually, the elderly person living in the house will not be able to take care of it. Plan ahead so it will be one less worry.

The perfect house for the aging is a house that is worry free for the person living in it and the people that care about them. Base the house on the needs of the individual who will be living there. The person living in it should have the final decision unless they are incapable of making the decision. In which case, you should be looking at retirement homes.