Professional Home Referrals-Aging In Place

SPRINGBORO, OH, April 30, 2011 (Press-News.org) As the baby boomers begin to retire and think about life after their careers, more and more folks are staying put in their current residence rather than downsizing, moving to assisted living, retirement villages or even nursing homes when the time comes. This is becoming commonly known as "aging in place". This presents an interesting dilemma for seniors who still need to maintain their home or have it retrofitted with bathroom, entryway, kitchen, and bedroom modifications to accommodate their ever changing lifestyles. This is where Professional Home Referrals can help you and your family. Many unscrupulous service providers and home improvement contractors continue to flood the market place preying on this demographic and you and your family need to be prepared to confront this situation. By contacting Professional Home Referrals, you take the risk out of the equation by allowing us to provide you with a prescreened and dependable contractor.

Do you want to be taken advantage of? Read further to see some of the enhancements that can be done to your home to make it more user friendly.

The entry into your home can cause many hazards for the elderly. Driveways and sidewalks should have adequate lighting to illuminate pathways at night. Steps should be avoided and if there are currently steps at your home, a wood or metal ramp can be installed to facilitate entry into your home. Proper handrails and railings should be installed along ramps and/or porches. Garage doors should have automatic openers so that entry is effortless. Garage lifts can be installed if there are steps into your home from the garage. No step thresholds can be installed so wheelchairs can easily roll over and in through a doorway.

Bathrooms are one of the most widely used spaces in one's home and special care should be taken to ensure proper safety measures are installed to prevent serious injury. Having a solid place to grab onto around toilets and in showers/tubs is important so someone can maintain their stability when maneuvering around these spaces. Roll in showers can be installed to facilitate entering and exiting showers and tubs. Switching out the shower head with an adjustable slide head and hose extension puts the head within a usable reach. Modifying sinks and cabinetry can aid in a wheelchair being able to easily slide under the sink for easy access to faucets and items on the counter. An elevated toilet is more easily accessible than a traditional height toilet.

Bedrooms can also be another area of your home that can be modified to make better use of the space. Light switches with rocker type on/off switches can make turning lights on and off easier (this goes for any room). Enlarge closets if room allows to make walk-in with adjustable shelving that can be reached by someone in a wheelchair. Make sure spaces are clear and easily maneuverable.

Kitchens are another place seniors still like to spend their time cooking but can not stand for long periods of time over stoves and so forth. Appliance and table modifications can still allow them to enjoy cooking. Installing pull out shelving is another way to aid in getting to pots, pans, and food more easily. Installing sinks that have the capability of having a wheelchair role under them allows easy use of kitchen faucet and sink.

These issues will not be going away any time soon so put some thought into how you can make your's or a family members home more user friendly and most importantly safer for them to enjoy.

Professional Home Referrals hopes you have enjoyed reading this article and that you can take a few of these tips and apply them to your own home. Several organizations that can provide additional useful information are http://www.ageinplace.org and http://www.aarp.org.

Contact us for a prescreened, dependable contractor today at http://www.prohomereferrals.com or via email at info@prohomereferrals.com.