Climbing the stairs to the front door had reminded us that we were one broken hip from being shut out of our house. Not a pleasant thought, but a possible reality. The steps leading into our family home could easily become a challenging barrier. The laundry room in the basement area could be out of reach with a slip on the ice or other health problems.
An injury or health issue can happen to anyone at any age. For senior citizens the odds of such an event are higher. Most of us simply put such concerns aside and hope that the time never comes. Full disclosure, we are senior citizens in pretty good health. Stairs are still manageable, although we don’t go out of our way to use them.
Our wakeup call was when father-in-law needed a walker, and it took a couple of grandkids to help get him into our home for Thanksgiving dinner. A very real reminder that our home could become a barrier. It was time to be proactive and take steps to live barrier free.
First thought was to purchase a different home. One that was barrier free. No steps into the house. Laundry room on the main floor. Wider doors that would accommodate a wheelchair. Safer step in shower. Brighter lighting and solid flooring to minimize trip hazard. All things that would help us to age in place and if, God forbid, a fall or visit to the doctor made home a barrier.
Our options, like most homeowners, were clear. Sell our home and purchase a different one. Or modify ours. We loved our neighborhood and our home. So, after consulting with several contractors, we decided to make the changes necessary to prepare for aging in place. It wasn’t inexpensive, nor easy. We were fortunate that our ranch style home was able to be changed to be mostly barrier free and accessible.
A few years later a health issue required major surgery. Without the barrier free improvements our home would have become a significant barrier to life. It made a difficult situation more manageable.
