Aging in Place and Adaptive Living – Renovating Your Home in Markham

Moving isn’t the only option if you want to remain in the Markham area as you get older. An adaptive living renovation can make your Ontario home safer and more comfortable if you’re planning to age in place.

Adaptive Living Means Life Doesn’t Have to Change Drastically When You Retire

It’s no wonder that many people consider moving into apartments or single-level homes when they’re thinking about retirement. After all, many older homes in Markham weren’t designed to accommodate mobility issues and other challenges that often occur with aging. Fortunately, we can help you outfit your house with adaptive living features and technology that improve safety without sacrificing style. 

Physical changes related to aging are impossible to avoid, no matter how healthy you are today. Although we certainly hope you’ll never develop mobility, balance, or vision problems, these health issues are much more likely to occur with age. Renovating your home now will help you ensure that you’re ready for any changes the future might bring. 

Adaptive living renovations focus on accessibility. As part of your Markham renovation, we’ll make big and small changes to your home that will enable you to continue to enjoy your house for years to come. Adding adaptive living features may cost less than you think, thanks to a home accessibility tax credit. The credit is available to homeowners who are disabled or 65 or older.

Making Your Markham Home More Safe With Universal Design

During the design process, we’ll discuss adaptive living features we can incorporate into your renovation. Luckily, we have an adaptive living specialist who has an in-depth knowledge of home accessibility and aging-in-place options. Natalie recently received her Adaptiv Living Renovation Course presented by Canadian Home Builders’ Association.

Your adaptive living renovation may involve changes to your: 

Kitchen Universal Design Ideas

• Slip-proof flooring
• Motion-activated faucets
• Pull-down drawers in upper cabinets and pull-out drawers in lower cabinets
• Additional lighting
• Multi-level lower cabinets that make it easier to work in the kitchen when seated
• Under-the-counter microwave
• Sinks that offer enough room underneath for a wheelchair
• Wider entryways
• Open space for maneuvering if you must use a wheelchair or walker
• Anti-scald devices on faucets
• Motion or voice-activated soap dispensers
• Smart ovens that remember the settings for your favourite recipes and can be turned on or off remotely

Aging-In-Place Bathroom Design Ideas

The bathroom is the prime place in the home for a slip-and-fall accident. Unfortunately, many of the people injured during falls are senior citizens. The Canadian Institute for Health Information reports that 80% of injury hospitalization in seniors are related to falls.

We can help you avoid potentially devastating falls by swapping slippery floors for rubber flooring, small-format tiles, or other non-slip options. Aging-in-place bathroom design may also include these features:

• Curbless, walk-in showers to prevent tripping
• Shower seats
• Motion-activated lights and faucets
• Smartphone apps that control shower temperature and allow you to turn your shower on remotely
• Walk-in bathtubs
• Grab bars
• Elevated toilets
• Self-cleaning toilets
• Bidets
• Additional task lighting
• Wider bathroom doors
• Plenty of space for wheelchairs or walkers
• Wall-mounted vanities that allow more room for wheelchairs
• Varying counter heights

Universally Designed Bedrooms

Would you be able to reach your bedroom if arthritis or another condition made it difficult to climb the stairs safely? Adding a bedroom to your first floor offers a simple way to ensure that you’re prepared for whatever the future may hold.

Whether you’d like to convert an existing room to a bedroom or build a bedroom suite addition, we can help you create the ultimate first-floor retreat. Of course, you don’t have to move downstairs immediately. If you prefer to continue using your upstairs bedroom, you may want to temporarily turn the new bedroom suite into a guest suite or family room.

Universally Accessible Laundry Room

Now’s the perfect time to move your laundry room to the first or second floor if it’s currently in the basement. Your new laundry space can even be added to your new first-floor bedroom suite if you prefer. Consider adding these features to your new laundry room:

• Fold-down table for sorting clothes
• Fold-down ironing board
• Non-slip flooring
• Roll-under sink that can accommodate wheelchairs
• Countertops of varying heights
• Front-loading washer and dryer to reduce bending

Aging-In-Place All Over the House

Adaptive living renovations often involve widening hallways and doorways throughout the house, in addition to eliminating the stairs for at least one entrance into the home. We’ll also remove thresholds between rooms that can pose a tripping hazard.

As you get older, the tiny muscles that control the size of your pupils don’t work quite as well, which means you need more light to see well. During your renovation, we’ll install additional lights throughout your home and pay particular attention to illuminating hallways, bathrooms, and stairs. If one or more areas of your home always seem dark, we may recommend adding more windows or installing skylights. Your renovation might include other vision-related features, like adding contrasting colours on stairs to make it easier to see the edge of every step.

Arthritis or decreased strength may one day make it difficult to turn doorknobs or open cabinet doors. We can solve that problem by installing easy-to-operate levers on doors and D-shaped handles on cabinets.

Worried about getting help if you fall or become ill? Voice-based virtual assistants, like Alexa Together, respond to spoken requests and quickly summon emergency services to your home. During your adaptive living renovation, we can add a smart home operating system that allows you to control your appliances, security system, thermostat, lights, and doorbell cameras from your phone.

Interested in learning how an adaptive living renovation can improve your home? Complete our convenient online form or give us a call at (905) 201-1054.