Boomers Choosing To Remodel Rather Than Move

Washington, DC, Jan. 30, 2009--More aging homeowners are choosing to alter their current homes rather than move to accommodate their changing needs.

They simply want to grow older in comfortable and familiar surroundings, according to a story in the Washington Times.

Trade organizations, along with the homebuilding and remodeling industry, are taking notice of what aging homeowners want.

The aging-in-place movement has become big with 89 percent of people older than age 50 wanting to remain in their own homes indefinitely, according to a recent AARP survey.

"As baby boomers prepare for retirement, they want to stay in the community they've lived in for many years," said Kelly Mack, communications manager for the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Remodelers. "They know the community well and the people in the community who help them and support them."

NAHB, in partnership with AARP, developed the Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS) program to teach professionals (such as builders, remodelers, architects and designers) how to modify homes for people to age comfortably in their homes. According to NAHB, the CAPS program has become one of their fastest-growing education efforts.

Regardless of age or functional abilities, experts say that homeowners who want to make their house their home for a lifetime look to make specialized modifications to their homes instead of moving into a retirement community or nursing (assisted living) center.

Creating fully functional living quarters on a main level and doing bathroom and kitchen modifications rank among the most popular upgrades when seniors remodel their homes.

Mack said that there are a lot of different factors to consider when modifying a home to age in place but that some of the most important rooms to pay attention to are the kitchen and bathroom. "These are the most difficult rooms to navigate," she said. "It's importation to make the floors less slippery, have better lighting and add lever handles."

The universal design concept calls for making homes and furnishings that work for people of all ages.

Some suggestions from NAHB and AARP include having a low- or no-threshold entrance to the home with an overhang, no changes in levels on the main floor, nonslip flooring at the entryway, wider halls and doorways, handrails at all steps, controls and handles that are easy to use and conveniently located and raised electrical outlets.

The bathroom can become a scary place for elderly people because it often is wet and has hard surfaces.