Are you ready? If you’re like most people, your goal is to “age in place” and live your later years in the community in your own home. Yet that goal may be sidelined by the reality of disability unless you prepare in advance for what may come. According to new data from the CDC, more than 70 million US adults report having a disability, either cognitive, mobility, vision, hearing, self-care, or connected to independent living. That translates into 1 in 4 adults, and for those over 65, the percentage is closer to 44% reporting a disability. While that doesn’t automatically equate with an inability to age in place, it does suggest that plans need to be made to accommodate whatever disability arises. Data from 2023 suggests that Americans spend approximately 12 years on average living with disease or disability before death, which is a long time to live in a place that is not set up for success if you’re disabled. In fact, a recent survey found that 11% of all senior households- some 4 million households- report difficulty using their homes or living in them because the homes did not support aging in place. One more bit of data regarding disability and aging in place. A recent study in JAMA Internal Medicine reported that the average age of someone entering a nursing home is 84, often living months or more likely years with “severe disability” before entering the facility. This suggests that people enter nursing homes, and leave their homes in the community, well after a disability has set in- yet another reason why planning in advance for aging with a disability is crucial if you want to successfully age in place. 

What kind of planning needs to happen? US News recently published a long list of items you should attend to in your home, including staircases, bathroom safety, doorknobs, lighting, technology, ramps, and doorways. But can you afford such work in your home? While renovations and redesigns will depend upon your current house setup and location, the costs can easily exceed many thousands of dollars. Another recent US News article profiled several different seniors who paid for major renovations to age in place, from installing grab bars to lowering the entry to showers to even installing elevators and chairlifts. While you may be able to get away with much less, if one resident of the home suddenly needs a wheelchair to get around, then doorways will need to be widened, kitchen islands may need to be removed and ramps may need to be installed. For a comprehensive list of every renovation you should consider when planning for long-term (and possibly disabled) aging in place, grab your cane and click here.

Finally, here’s a story of a 78-year-old Canadian woman who faced this precise problem: Living alone in a 3-story house that wasn’t set up to easily accommodate her aging body, she was determined to transform her living situation with the help of a designer. Now living in a fully self-contained one-level “apartment” on the first floor of her house, she was able to create a separate “apartment” upstairs, that could either be rented for additional income or devoted to a live-in caregiver should that be necessary. Her story is a happy (if expensive) one, as she was able to stay in the home she had been in for 50 years, in a neighborhood she loved, but with an array of “universal” design solutions that will allow her to live comfortably whatever the future holds. Read all about the creative design solution here.