{"id":2861,"date":"2023-05-01T20:36:00","date_gmt":"2023-05-02T00:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/live-coto.pantheonsite.io\/?post_type=resource&p=2861"},"modified":"2024-12-30T13:03:20","modified_gmt":"2024-12-30T18:03:20","slug":"is-your-home-ready-for-you-to-age-in-place","status":"publish","type":"resource","link":"https:\/\/www.coto.org\/resources\/is-your-home-ready-for-you-to-age-in-place\/","title":{"rendered":"Is your home ready for you to age in place?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Published May 2023 with NewsCanada<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Canadians are increasingly hearing about a phrase that could shift how they view home designs \u2013 \u201caging in place.\u201d The point of this concept is to spend your golden years in your family home rather than a seniors\u2019 home or assisted living facility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People change as they get older, and your house may also need to evolve. A health-care professional like an occupational therapist (OT) can assess your needs and help with the appropriate modifications, so you can keep living independently in your home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some tips that can help you stay home safely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

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A grand entrance<\/h2>\n <\/div>\n\n
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Aging in place starts with an accessible entrance. Ideally, you\u2019ll have a well-lit front door flush with the walkway leading to it. If there are stairs, securely fasten railings on both sides. Consider what changes would be needed to install a ramp.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Future-focused renos<\/h2>\n <\/div>\n\n
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If you\u2019re planning renovations, make it easier to age in place by considering some minor add-ons. Door replacements should be at least 36 inches (90 centimetres) wide to allow wheelchair or walker access if needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A new shower should have no curb for unimpeded access, and consider a bidet for a hygienic, hands-free alternative to a traditional toilet.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Senior-friendly fixtures <\/h2>\n <\/div>\n\n
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Lever-style handles on faucets are easier to operate than ones you must grab. Better yet, install motion- or voice-activated ones. They\u2019re convenient for rinsing germy hands during meal preparations, and they\u2019re a pain-free option if arthritis becomes an issue later in life.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Bright light<\/h2>\n <\/div>\n\n
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Sufficient lighting is essential to help with fading eyesight. Install plenty of lighting in the kitchen for safely chopping food and other tasks. Smart-home systems make it easy to control the lights and can be voice-activated, so you don\u2019t have to walk into a dark room and risk tripping.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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If you\u2019re working with an OT, you can learn what to expect and confirm their registration through the College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario at\u00a0coto.org\/ot<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Published May 2023 with NewsCanada Canadians are increasingly hearing about a phrase that could shift how they view home designs \u2013 \u201caging in place.\u201d The point of this concept is to spend your golden years in your family home rather than a seniors\u2019 home or assisted living facility. People change as they get older, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":""},"resource-audience":[16],"resource-topic":[40,32],"resource-type":[],"class_list":["post-2861","resource","type-resource","status-publish","hentry","resource-audience-public","resource-topic-awareness","resource-topic-guidance-for-patients-clients"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.coto.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource\/2861","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.coto.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.coto.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/resource"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.coto.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.coto.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource\/2861\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2862,"href":"https:\/\/www.coto.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource\/2861\/revisions\/2862"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.coto.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2861"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"resource-audience","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.coto.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource-audience?post=2861"},{"taxonomy":"resource-topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.coto.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource-topic?post=2861"},{"taxonomy":"resource-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.coto.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource-type?post=2861"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}