86% of baby boomers and older adult homeowners in Canadawant to live in their current home for as long as possible.
But very few of them want to face the reality that doing so requires planning.
Think about it…you’ve been planning all your life.
You save for your first home. Yep, that’s a plan. You plan your wedding and honeymoon.
You plan for your child’s education and for your retirement by investing.
You even plan to go to the grocery store.
So why is planning for aging in place so difficult? And why is it something that my clients really don’t want to talk about?
Whether we know it or not, just by using the word ‘aging’, we’re subtly reinforcing the message that aging is a negative condition we need to battle. And when you are a healthy person in your 60’s, why even bother to think about growing old?
Well, from a design perspective, it matters. If you are renovating your kitchen, I’d say you are probably investing $40-70K. Your intent is that this is it – this is your kitchen now and into the future.
But what if that kitchen is no longer 100% functional 20 years from now? Maybe you now prefer to sit to chop your veggies. Maybe you are using a walker and cupboards make it difficult for you to get to that pot.
Your designer is doing you a disservice if they do not talk about your kitchen being functional for the 80 year old you.
After all, if you are one of the 86% who want to live in their home for as long as possible, planning for ‘aging in place’ is important when you are renovating so you don’t have to do it down the road.
So ask yourself, if I have invested all this money so I can live a long life, why wouldn’t I want my home to support that long life? It just makes sense to talk about it.
Until next time my friends, stay safe.
Roxanne
