Aging-in-Place

Today's Baby Boomers aren't thinking retirement homes. Today's Baby Boomers are active, engaged members of their community and want to live in their homes into retirement. To achieve that, a concept called "aging-in-place" has evolved. This concept is a combination of construction and safety modifications that allow living in a home independently and comfortably.

Steve Christie is a Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS), a designation achieved through training with the National Association of Home Builders' (NAHB) Remodelers™ Council. This education program teaches the strategies and techniques for designing and building aesthetically enriching, barrier-free living environments. The CAPS program goes beyond design to address the codes and standards, common remodeling expenditures and projects, product ideas and resources needed to provide comprehensive and practical aging in place solutions.

Christies Complete Services is also a founding member of Plan4Tomorrow.org, a planning for the future resource.

A number of options exist to keep your home safe in later years including changes to the bathroom:
• Safety bars and grabs
• Shower seats Main floor level baths Increased lighting
• Levers on faucets and doors
• Slip resistant flooring
• Adjustable, handheld shower heads
• Pedestal sinks with knee space
• Curbless showers
• Lower height bathtubs

Kitchen details include:
• Drawer style dishwashers to eliminate bending over
• More drawers for storage instead of lower cabinets shelving
• Wider door access with levers instead of knobs.