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How To Make Life Easy At Home: Useful Tips For Any Age

How To Make Life Easy At Home: Useful Tips For Any Age

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The place we call home can come in all shapes and sizes.  Some are clean and simple, while others are filled with things we love.  When we’re young and active, we never give a second thought about the need to feel confident and safe doing everyday basic things at home.  It’s a given…right?  We’ve set it up and decorated it exactly the way we love, and we should be good to go.   So, how do you know when your home isn’t serving your needs? 

How do we know when it’s time to  make life easier at home for our future self?  I’m here to tell you that it happens when you least expect it, and not always when you’re ready.

Several years ago I became a Certified Aging In Place Specialist (CAPS).  During the two day course we learned how to modify homes so that clients can live there as long as they choose.  Basically, we learned how to make life easier in our homes as we age.  Little did I know, how several years later, we’d be needing these design tweaks in our own home!

Since helping clients remodel their kitchens and baths is my all-time favorite thing to do, I always recommend putting these Universal Design principals into place in these rooms.  But I also know that when we’re in our 40’s,50’s,and even 60’s we think we don’t need them.  There is always the image of an institutional bathroom in our minds, and can’t face the thought of installing grab bars just yet. 

curbless shower with grab bar

Sometimes life throws us unexpected curves that send plans out the window.  When my husband had his knee replaced a few years ago, we discovered all kinds of design issues with our three story townhouse.  This was certainly something we never considered when we bought it. The doorways were only 28” wide when a walker is 30”.  There were no grab bars in the bathroom, and too many stairs to maneuver that required him to stay in the lower level for weeks. Check out my blog post to learn more about it.

The next house would be correct all of these issues with a much better design.  Every shower wall and toilet area was prepped for grab bars.  No need to actually install them now.  We’re healthy and active.  Doorways are 36”…check.  Plenty of good lighting…check.  Wide open walkways…check.  Appliances at a user friendly level…check.  We are good to go!

Or so we thought.  Until my own foot issues required surgery!

I learned that, to move around easily, a knee scooter and crutches were needed.  To maneuver the stairs, sometimes you just have to sit down and scoot.  Crazy, I know.  But sometimes you’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do to make it all work.

What no one mentioned were some Basic Useful Tips For Any Age that we all know and just don’t think about.

  • A curb-less shower would have made entering the shower so much easier, and I would have felt more confident. No problem with the actual showering, because a bench seat and hand held shower have made it so easy.
  • The beautiful accent rugs gracing our floors had to go. Yes, they were rolled up and sitting on the sidelines waiting for full recovery day.  Again, safety and confidence is an issue.
  • Grab bars in the shower would help the fear of losing balance and falling.
  • Grab bars next to the toilet, or even a temporary raised toilet seat with built in grab bars, would make life easier.
  • Lever handles on all doors are easier to manipulate when you’re carrying groceries or a toddler…or on crutches
  • And this one thing, that has nothing to do with your home but everything to do with your physical body, is to exercise. For me it’s yoga…a strength building intense yoga…at least two days a week.  Had it not been for my yoga instructors Karen, Nancy, and Caren always stressing the need for balance and strong bodies as we get older, this journey would have been be a struggle.

As recovery continued, life at home got a little easier each day.  My “recliner office” was all set up, and I was plugged in to all my devices trying to get work done.  Life’s an adventure, I always say.  And now I know how to be prepared for “the next time.” 

Your Design Homework: 

  • Take a walk around your home. Check the doorways, the bathrooms, the floors.

  • Now make a list of the little things you can put in place that will make your life easier if you need to have an unplanned surgery…or an accident. Can you add grab bars to you shower or toilet areas?  Are your doorways at least 32” wide?  Do you have rugs that might cause you to trip if you were on crutches?

 

How To Know When Your Home Isn’t Serving Your Needs

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Homes come in all shapes and sizes.  Some are spacious, and some are small.  Some are clean and simple, while others are cluttered with things we love. When we’re young and active, we never give a second thought to feeling confident and safe doing everyday basic things around this place we call home.  It’s a given…right? You’ve set it up and decorated it exactly the way you love.  So, how do you know when your home isn’t serving your needs? It happens when you least expect it, and not always when you’re ready.

Several years ago I became a Certified Aging In Place Specialist (CAPS).  During the two day course we learned how to modify homes so that clients can live there as long as they choose.  Basically, we learned how to make life easier in our homes as we age.  Little did I know, how several years later, we’d be needing these design tweaks in our own home!

Since helping clients remodel their kitchens and baths is my all-time favorite thing to do, I always recommend putting these Universal Design principals into place in these rooms.  But I also know that as aging Boomers, we think we don’t need them.  We still have the image of the institutional bathroom in our minds, and can’t face the thought of installing grab bars just yet. 

Well, that’s what I thought too, until the unexpected happened.  When my husband had his knee replaced a few years ago, we discovered all kinds of design issues with our three story townhouse.  This was certainly something we never considered when we bought it. The doorways were only 28” wide when a walker is 30”.  There were no grab bars in the bathroom, and too many stairs to maneuver that required him to stay in the lower level for weeks. Check out my blog post to learn more about it.

I was determined that all of these issues would be corrected when we designed our new home.  Every shower wall and toilet area was prepped for grab bars.  No need to actually install them now.  We’re healthy and active.  Doorways are 36”…check.  Plenty of good lighting…check.  Wide open walkways…check.  Appliances at a user friendly level…check.  We are good to go!

Or so we thought.  Until my own foot issues kept getting worse and worse.  I put off the much needed surgery for as long as I could, asking friends what to expect. 

I learned that I needed a knee scooter and crutches.  I learned that to maneuver the stairs, sometimes you just have to sit down and scoot.  Crazy, I know.  But sometimes you’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do to make it all work.

What I didn’t hear from anyone was some basic advice that we all know and just don’t think about.

  • A curb-less shower would have made entering the shower so much easier, and I would have felt more confident. No problem with the actual showering, because a bench seat and hand held shower have made it so easy.
  • The beautiful accent rugs gracing our floors had to go. Yes, they are rolled up and sitting on the sidelines waiting for full recovery day.  Again, safety and confidence is an issue.
  • Grab bars in the shower would help the fear of losing balance and falling.
  • Grab bars next to the toilet, or even a temporary raised toilet seat with built in grab bars, would make life easier.
  • And this one thing, that has nothing to do with your home but everything to do with your physical body, is to exercise. For me it’s yoga…a strength building intense yoga…at least two days a week.  Had it not been for my yoga instructors Karen, Nancy, and Caren always stressing the need for balance and strong bodies as we get older, this journey would be a struggle.

As recovery continued, life got a little easier each day.  My “recliner office” was all set up, and I was plugged in to all my devices trying to get work done.  Life’s an adventure, I always say.  And now I know how to be prepared for “the next time.” 

Your Design Homework: 

  • Take a walk around your home. Check the doorways, the bathrooms, the floors.
  • Now make a list of the little things you can put in place that will make your life easier if you need to have an unplanned surgery…or an accident. Can you add grab bars to you shower or toilet areas?  Are your doorways at least 32” wide?  Do you have rugs that might cause you to trip if you were on crutches?

 

The Sad Truth About Injuries and Quality of Life

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    Imagine breezing through life in perfect condition, active, and loving life.  Then imagine waking up one day to an injury that affects not only your leisure activities, but the normal activities of daily living.

     As Baby Boomers we like to think we’re invincible, healthy, and vibrant.  We don’t like to think that our physical capabilities might change one day.  Those issues happen to someone else – not us!  But I have to confess, it has happened to me.

     A few weeks ago I injured my thumb.  I’m not sure if it’s a strain or a tear.  All I  know is that it hurts, and is affecting the way I do things.  Suddenly, basic activities like styling my hair, cooking, and washing dishes are no longer done with ease.

     When the injury was new, and the pain at its peak, it was even painful to pick up a pen to write a note or sign a check.  Holding a coffee mug or a full glass of water was agonizing.  That was when it hit me.  Could this be what it’s like to have severe arthritis?  Having trouble managing even the simplest of tasks?  And then I visualized the future.  What would life be like as my strength weakens with age?

     Let’s take a look at some issues that arise and possible ways to solve them.

1.  Knobs – Gripping a round knob is painful.

          Solution:  Replace door knobs and spigots with levers.  Replace cabinet knobs with pulls.

2.  Heavy cookware – We all like quality pots and pans, but I discovered that, even using two hands didn’t ease the pain or simplify the task of moving a skillet to the sink.

          Solution:  “Test” cookware at the store before purchasing.  Do a little research ahead of time to learn about the weight, quality and efficiency before heading out to buy.

3.  Laundry – It’s painful to gather up the load of wash and carry it to the machine.  It also hurts to “stuff” it into the washing machine.  And I have a front loader.

          Solution:  Front loaders have always been my favorite for energy and water efficiency.  But as I load clothes into my machine, I realize that taking my time and adding only a few pieces at a time would be a gentler approach.

4.  Lifting over your head – You have less control and more fear of dropping something on your head.

          Solution:  Use a step stool.  In a closet install lower shelves.  For your kitchen consider using deep drawers for dishes and glasses;  wall cabinets that sit on the counter.  Think about keeping your frequently used items on a lower shelf.

     As I list these few daily tasks that have been impacted by my injury, I think of all the other ways our lives would change with surgery, accidents, and aging in general.  Everything takes longer – bathing, dressing, cleaning up the kitchen.  We have to ask for help.  We don’t like that.  We become just a little more dependent on others.  Imagine,if we make small changes to our homes now, while we’re healthy, how our independence would make us feel later.  We all want to grow old gracefully (with style) in our own homes.  Be proactive…not reactive!

     I would love to have you share your comments, suggestions, and experiences on injuries and aging.  We can all learn from each other.