This couple is enjoying their forever home and being in it together as the years go by and they age in place
Aging in place just works
Aging in place works for many reasons – even without much effort or thought behind it. It continues to work largely because people, worldwide, are resourceful and resilient.
People make the modifications they can and that they consider to be necessary to make their homes more suitable for them – whether that requires any expenditure of money or not and whether it is a quick fix, a series of changes over time, or a more comprehensive long-term solution.
Assessments are a good beginning
Many of us who are aging in place professionals like to look at the client’s home environment and determine what is working and what needs some modifications to facilitate a safer use of that space. It could be lighting, flooring, width of doorways, thresholds, steps, appliances, drawer and cabinet hardware, furniture placement, controls and switches, or other aspects of the home that require attention.
Of course, the client is in their space all or much of the time. They may be aware of many of the issues we would note, or they may just have accepted them and chosen to overlook them. Even though there are fixes for many of their concerns, they are getting by with what they have and making the best of it.
Making home improvements
Some people may have decided that they want us to address some of the issues they are facing in their homes. Nevertheless, there is no requirement that anything in their home be changed or that it be modified to suit our idea of what is desirable. They may allow us to observe what we see and to offer recommendations about making their home easier to navigate or to be in.
By performing an assessment or evaluation of the client’s living space – with a checklist or standardized form, with a general notation of our observations, with photographs to translate to a written summation, or reviewed orally with the client accompanying us during our walkthrough, we can share with the client what we are noting that can be fixed, upgraded, modified, or changed – with little expenditure of money all the way to a more major investment.
It’s a consumer decision
Ultimately, it’s up to the consumer, our client, whether they engage us to make improvements for them if they decide to do some minimal amount of work themselves, or if they elect to do nothing.
People are quite resourceful and resilient and can find ways to remain in their homes quite well – even without undertaking improvements that we recognize as being important for them to complete. Of course, we like it when people select us to help them.