{"id":27614,"date":"2016-06-23T16:47:01","date_gmt":"2016-06-23T14:47:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/?p=27614"},"modified":"2026-01-22T13:50:06","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T12:50:06","slug":"ageing-in-place-how-to-adapt-your-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/ageing-in-place-how-to-adapt-your-home\/","title":{"rendered":"Ageing in place: how to adapt your home"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Staying in their own home as long as possible is one of the wishes most often expressed by the elderly. 77% of French seniors have declared themselves in favour of \u201cageing in place\u201d, along with 90% of American seniors.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sources : the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.silvereco.fr\/8eme-barometre-autonomie-ocirp-lage-de-lautonomie\/3154064\">Barom\u00e8tre Autonomie Ocirp 2016<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aarp.org\/\">American Association of Retired Persons<\/a><!--more--><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">But as you get on in years, your home might become uncomfortable, inadequate, even dangerous in some cases: there are 12\u00a0000 fall-related deaths each year, and 40% of them happen at night. Adapting your home is necessary, but where do you begin, and how do you proceed?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px; text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/falls-among-elderly-people-detection-advice-and-prevention\/3124749\">Falls among elderly people : advice, detection and prevention<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-27629 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Adaptation-du-logement-architecture-maintien-\u00e0-domicile-som.png\" alt=\"adapting home architecture ageing in place\" width=\"600\" height=\"439\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Adaptation-du-logement-architecture-maintien-\u00e0-domicile-som.png 600w, https:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Adaptation-du-logement-architecture-maintien-\u00e0-domicile-som-300x220.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\">Step 1: assessing your home<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-27630 alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Am\u00e9nager-son-domicile-chambre-Silvereco-300x210.jpg\" alt=\"adapt home bedroom\" width=\"242\" height=\"170\" \/>The first step towards adapting your home is to <strong>assess it<\/strong>. You will need to identify \u201crisk factors\u201d likely to impede circulation or cause accidents.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">You may resort to an occupational therapist, who will assess your house and make recommendations according to the situation and the residents\u2019 needs.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">You will first need to <strong>assess accessibility<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li><strong>First is your front door<\/strong>: is it large enough? high enough? Is the knob placed\u00a0appropriately?<\/li>\n<li>You will also need to take <strong>room layout<\/strong> into account, as well as <strong>stairs<\/strong>, stories, doors (dimensions, opening direction, doorstep\u2026), windows (height of window and handle, roller, motorised or hinged shutters\u2026), radiators and cupboards\u2026<\/li>\n<li><strong>Floors<\/strong> : flooring, carpets, uneven or slanted floor, etc.<\/li>\n<li>You will also need to look for potential obstacles such as electrical wires, where power sockets and switches are located, etc.<\/li>\n<li>Lighting must also be taken into account.<\/li>\n<li>You can also list which pieces of furniture are stationary and which are mobile.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Once your home has been assessed, you can start thinking of ways to adapt it. In some cases, it will only come down to some tricks; in others, you will need to set up equipment or even have some works done.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\">A few tricks to adapt your home<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Here are some tricks to help you make your home safer\u00a0:<\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li><strong>Rethink the layout of the rooms.<\/strong> For instance, if you have trouble walking and your house has several stories, you may want to relocate your bedroom to the ground floor.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Move furniture in order to facilitate circulation within your home<\/strong>. You can move cumbersome pieces of furniture up against walls or leave some space between them so that you can move around without risking tripping or bumping into them.<\/li>\n<li>Adjust the height of shelves and cupboards so you can reach them more easily.<\/li>\n<li>Replace door and furniture knobs by handles that will be easier to take a hold of and turn.<\/li>\n<li>You may either <strong>get rid of doorsteps or replace them<\/strong> with rubber doorstep ramps in order to make them accessible in a wheelchair.<\/li>\n<li>Tape slippery carpets to the floor with double sided tape, and place some non-slip carpet pads underneath them. You could also simply get rid of them.<\/li>\n<li>Stick electrical wires onto walls so as to as to avoid tripping on them.<\/li>\n<li>Replace or shorten overly long curtains.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Adapt room lighting :\u00a0<\/strong>a room that is too dark makes walking around difficult.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\">What equipment do you need to adapt your home to an elderly or dependent person?<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-27633 alignright\" src=\"http:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/salledebain_volet_cloison-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"bathroom shutters wall\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/salledebain_volet_cloison-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/salledebain_volet_cloison-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/salledebain_volet_cloison.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/salledebain_volet_cloison-600x338.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>The equipment you will need to adapt your home is different for every room\u00a0:<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>In the bathroom\u00a0:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li>Set up support bars to get in and out of your shower easily, or hold yourself up in front of the sink. Some support bars are aesthetical and multifunctional.<\/li>\n<li>Place non-slip carpets in the shower or bathtub or next to it.<\/li>\n<li>Place a chair or a stool in case you need to sit down to get dressed, dry your feet or clean yourself.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>In the toilet:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li>You can place support bars and arm rests.<\/li>\n<li>You can also set up a booster seat.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>In the corridor\u00a0<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li>Place non-slip carpets if your flooring is slippery.<\/li>\n<li>Set up a luminous path that will allow you to walk around more easily at night.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-27632 alignright\" src=\"http:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/geria-chambre-300x141.png\" alt=\"adapted home geria-bedroom\" width=\"300\" height=\"141\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/geria-chambre-300x141.png 300w, https:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/geria-chambre.png 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>In your bedroom\u00a0: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li>You can place grab bars to the side of your bed in order to get in and out of bed more easily.<\/li>\n<li>You can also use booster seats to facilitate transfers.<\/li>\n<li>You can also set up a lit pathway on the floor or along walls in order to make walking to the bathroom at night easier.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>In the kitchen\u00a0: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li>Use equipment that will allow you to grip and open items more easily, such as can-openers, electric glass jar openers, knob turners etc.<\/li>\n<li>Use adapted dishware and cutlery.<\/li>\n<li>Use non-slip table clothes.<\/li>\n<li>Favour chairs with armrests.<\/li>\n<li>Use lifting cushions if necessary.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sometimes, some work needs to be done\u2026<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">It is sometimes necessary to have more substantial work done in order to make sure your home is safe. Slippery flooring must be replaced with non-slip flooring, especially in damp rooms like the bathroom.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Bathtubs are often inadequate and cause elderly people to fall (a great number of falls and accidents occur in the bathroom). You will need to replace them.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Some companies will offer to replace your bathtub with a safe shower within a day and without having extensive\u00a0work done. Kitchen furniture and cupboards must sometimes be replaced with more adequate equipment.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">If your home has several stories, you might want to get a stairlift.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\">What technologies can you use?<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-27634 alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Photo-M\u00e9daillon-T\u00e9l\u00e9assistance-300x159.png\" alt=\"remote monitoring\" width=\"213\" height=\"113\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Photo-M\u00e9daillon-T\u00e9l\u00e9assistance-300x159.png 300w, https:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Photo-M\u00e9daillon-T\u00e9l\u00e9assistance.png 529w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 213px) 100vw, 213px\" \/>There are many <a href=\"http:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/technologies\/companies\">Silver Economy actors<\/a> who offer innovative solutions to seniors who want to stay home.<strong><br \/>\nRemote monitoring solutions<\/strong>, for instance, can reassure seniors and their loved ones. If a problem arises, remote monitoring systems will contact professional services 24\/7, generally by pressing a remote support button.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-27631 alignright\" src=\"http:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Domotique-Shutterstock-remote-home-control-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Automation-remote home control som\" width=\"212\" height=\"141\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Automation solutions<\/strong> are also slowly becoming part\u00a0of our daily lives. They rely\u00a0on a range of technologies that aim to make home \u201csmart\u201d by automating individual and collective buildings. Automation solutions meet residents&#8217; needs in terms of comfort and safety.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\">What financial aid can you get to help you adapt your home if you live in France or the UK?<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Caring for a dependent person can be costly. However, financial help exist to help you adapt your home and allow you to age in place.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\">In France<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Autonomy allowances (allocation personnalis\u00e9e d\u2019autonomie)<\/strong> are granted to frail people aged 60 and more living in France. They are given out by County Councils and will help you cover ageing-in-place expenses.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">To receive this allowance, you will need to get your dependence level tested by a team of professionals. The <a href=\"http:\/\/www.silvereco.fr\/calcul-du-gir-grille-aggir\">AGGIR grid<\/a>\u00a0is customarily used. The amount you receive is determined in accordance with your dependence level and your income.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Other sources of financial exist, such as:<\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li>Disability compensations (Prestation de Compensation du Handicap)<\/li>\n<li>Tax credits to cover for equipment expenses related to people\u2019s needs<\/li>\n<li>Grants given out by the French National Habitat Agency (ANAH) and the National Old Age Insurance Fund (CNAV)<\/li>\n<li>If you\u2019re in need of additional income, you can apply for the ASPA (Elderly Solidarity allowance) or the ASI (Additional Invalidity allowance)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\">In the UK<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The British Department for Work and Pensions gives out a<strong> Personal Independence Payment<\/strong> to people aged 16 to 64 to pay for costs that come with impaired autonomy, be it related to long-term ill health or a disability. It replaces the Disability Living allowance.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Your dependence level will need to be frequently assessed to determine the rate.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>A social worker can give you more information about existing aids and help you through administrative procedures.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ageing in place: how to adapt your home #SilverEco <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":27629,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[3249,10,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27614","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-autonomy","category-dossier","category-news"],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Adaptation-du-logement-architecture-maintien-\u00e0-domicile-som.png",600,439,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Adaptation-du-logement-architecture-maintien-\u00e0-domicile-som-150x150.png",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Adaptation-du-logement-architecture-maintien-\u00e0-domicile-som-300x220.png",300,220,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Adaptation-du-logement-architecture-maintien-\u00e0-domicile-som.png",600,439,false],"large":["https:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Adaptation-du-logement-architecture-maintien-\u00e0-domicile-som.png",600,439,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Adaptation-du-logement-architecture-maintien-\u00e0-domicile-som.png",600,439,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Adaptation-du-logement-architecture-maintien-\u00e0-domicile-som.png",600,439,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"SilverEconomy","author_link":"https:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/author\/enredac26\/"},"uagb_comment_info":2,"uagb_excerpt":"Ageing in place: how to adapt your home #SilverEco","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27614","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/33"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27614"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27614\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48580,"href":"https:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27614\/revisions\/48580"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27629"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27614"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27614"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27614"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}