How Should You Decide Between Senior-Friendly Home Modifications and Assisted Living?

When you’re deciding between senior-friendly home modifications and assisted living, you need to consider the costs involved, as well as your living preferences and all-around support needs. Home modifications can be expensive, especially if you need extensive adaptations. Additionally, while assisted living communities already have a range of accessibility features that match your needs, you may need to wait for home modifications, which can negatively impact your safety, comfort and independence.

If the idea of living in a communal setting with structured enrichment activities appeals to you, assisted living might be the ideal choice. However, if you value your privacy and have many friends and family members nearby, you may prefer to remain at home. It’s also vital to consider your support needs. If you require practical help with several activities of daily living alongside senior-friendly home modifications, assisted living is more suitable for your needs. Conversely, aging in place might be an appropriate choice if you can live mostly independently with adaptations. That said, if you choose to remain at home, you could also consider visiting support from a home care agency.

According to the Genworth’s 2021 Cost of Care Survey, assisted living costs an average of $4,500 per month in the United States. Exact costs vary depending on the location, facility and services required. While you may qualify for financial assistance through Medicaid waivers or charitable grants to help cover adaptation expenses, there may also be out-of-pocket costs. If you need practical assistance to remain safely at home, in-home care averages $4,957 monthly. This is based on receiving 44 care hours per week.

Home modifications for seniors usually improve the accessibility or adaptability of a home. Accessibility features typically involve changes to a home’s layout, while adaptability features include adding elements to make life easier for the resident. Accessibility modifications often require more planning, disruption and time than adaptability changes.

Common accessibility modifications include widened doorways, ramp installations and lowered kitchen counters. Examples of adaptability modifications include fitting grab rails in bathrooms and moveable kitchen cabinets. Other changes you may need to make to your home include installing lifts and hoists, special lighting and voice-activated devices, as well as making flooring modifications.