The Ultimate Guide To Ageing In Place: How To Future-Proof Your Home

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Many experience limited mobility as we age, which can make staying in the home you’re familiar with more challenging. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t continue ageing in place — remaining in your own home rather than relocating to a care facility or a multi-generational living arrangement with family members. While staying at home as you age usually requires careful planning and some modifications to your property, it can be a rewarding way to continue enjoying the comfort of your own space.

In this guide, we’ll walk through the essential steps to future-proof your home, helping you feel confident and prepared as you navigate this stage of life.

What is ageing in place?

The term ‘ageing in place’ refers to continuing to live at home as you age rather than moving into a care home or living with relatives. There are many reasons you might choose to stay in the home you’ve created and customised over the years, but the main motivation is maintaining your independence.

Additionally, ageing in place allows you to remain surrounded by familiar spaces, neighbours, and services — such as your local doctor’s office, shops, and other community resources — where you already have existing relationships and routines. Ageing in place allows you to continue living on your own terms in a place that feels comfortable.

What are the benefits of ageing in place?

There is a wide range of benefits to ageing in place that go beyond simply staying in familiar surroundings. Here are some of the key advantages to remaining at home:

Social connections — Remaining in your community allows you to stay close to friends, neighbours, and family. These social ties are essential for emotional well-being, with studies showing those with good social connections experience 70% less mental decline with age.

Sense of familiarity — Living in your own home, surrounded by memories and personal belongings, can be comforting as you get older. This sense of familiarity can be particularly helpful for individuals experiencing memory loss or cognitive challenges.

Independence — Ageing in place allows you to maintain control over your daily life, continuing your regular routines and activities on your own terms. This independence is a valuable tool for your self-esteem and overall quality of life.

Financial savings — Moving into a care facility or hiring extensive home care can be costly, and with a rising number of older people, spaces can be difficult to find. Studies have shown that ageing in place is a viable solution to the financial challenges of a growing ageing population, while helping to save money on care fees.

Health benefits — Staying in familiar surroundings can positively impact your mental and physical health. Since you know the layout of your own home, you’re less likely to trip or bump into things, and remaining in the community helps to keep you on your feet and active.

What are the benefits of ageing in place?

There is a wide range of benefits to ageing in place that go beyond simply staying in familiar surroundings. Here are some of the key advantages to remaining at home:

Social connections — Remaining in your community allows you to stay close to friends, neighbours, and family. These social ties are essential for emotional well-being, with studies showing those with good social connections experience 70% less mental decline with age.

Sense of familiarity — Living in your own home, surrounded by memories and personal belongings, can be comforting as you get older. This sense of familiarity can be particularly helpful for individuals experiencing memory loss or cognitive challenges.

Independence — Ageing in place allows you to maintain control over your daily life, continuing your regular routines and activities on your own terms. This independence is a valuable tool for your self-esteem and overall quality of life.

Financial savings — Moving into a care facility or hiring extensive home care can be costly, and with a rising number of older people, spaces can be difficult to find. Studies have shown that ageing in place is a viable solution to the financial challenges of a growing ageing population, while helping to save money on care fees.

Health benefits — Staying in familiar surroundings can positively impact your mental and physical health. Since you know the layout of your own home, you’re less likely to trip or bump into things, and remaining in the community helps to keep you on your feet and active.

What are the benefits of ageing in place?

There is a wide range of benefits to ageing in place that go beyond simply staying in familiar surroundings. Here are some of the key advantages to remaining at home:

Social connections — Remaining in your community allows you to stay close to friends, neighbours, and family. These social ties are essential for emotional well-being, with studies showing those with good social connections experience 70% less mental decline with age.

Sense of familiarity — Living in your own home, surrounded by memories and personal belongings, can be comforting as you get older. This sense of familiarity can be particularly helpful for individuals experiencing memory loss or cognitive challenges.

Independence — Ageing in place allows you to maintain control over your daily life, continuing your regular routines and activities on your own terms. This independence is a valuable tool for your self-esteem and overall quality of life.

Financial savings — Moving into a care facility or hiring extensive home care can be costly, and with a rising number of older people, spaces can be difficult to find. Studies have shown that ageing in place is a viable solution to the financial challenges of a growing ageing population, while helping to save money on care fees.

Health benefits — Staying in familiar surroundings can positively impact your mental and physical health. Since you know the layout of your own home, you’re less likely to trip or bump into things, and remaining in the community helps to keep you on your feet and active.

When to start planning for the future

Planning to age in place can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re trying to think about circumstances and physical adjustments that may not be relevant immediately. Nobody likes to think about getting older.

However, the earlier you start planning, the smoother the transition will be if your mobility or other needs change with age. Starting the process of preparing your home early allows you to make gradual modifications so you can ease into your new lifestyle over time rather than all at once.

While it’s understandable to avoid thinking about these changes until they’re needed, early planning also ensures that you can budget for any home modifications that may be needed to make ageing in place more comfortable and manageable.

What to think about when planning to age in place

There are three key factors to consider when planning to age in place to ensure your home remains safe, accessible, and suited to your needs. These are your physical health, financial situation, and the compatibility of your home.

Let’s take a closer look at each of these areas to help you prepare for the changes that may arise with age:

Your physical health

Your health plays a significant role if you’re planning to age in place, and chronic illnesses are, unfortunately, more prevalent as we get older — with just under 60% of those aged 60+ in the UK having at least one long-term health condition.

Some health conditions may require frequent check-ins from loved ones or healthcare providers to ensure that you continue to manage your condition correctly as you age. These include:

Heart conditions
Diabetes
Kidney disease
Dementia and Alzheimer’s

If you have specific health needs, consider how you’ll manage these while living independently — whether by arranging regular visits from family, scheduling home healthcare support, or setting up technology to monitor your well-being.

Whether your home is ready for ageing

If you plan to age in place, your home is one of the most important factors to consider. You’ll need to determine whether your home is suitable for long-term accessibility. If it’s not, you’ll need to arrange for adaptations to support independent living as you get older.

Some properties, such as bungalows, may already be well-suited for ageing in place due to their single-storey layout. However, you may still need to widen doorways, fit handrails, or change the layout of rooms for easier access. Multi-storey homes may require more modifications, such as installing a home lift to provide access to all areas.

Your financial situation

Ageing in place can require various home adaptations to make moving around easier if you’re struggling with more limited mobility. Funding these changes is essential if you plan to continue living in the same property.

Some people choose to use their pension or savings to cover the costs of any modifications, while others may be eligible for support through grants, such as the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG), if changes are needed to make your home more wheelchair-friendly. If you’re preparing to future-proof your home early enough, you may also want to consider taking out adapted home insurance — a specialist home insurance that pays out for mobility aids, including hoists, home lifts, stair lifts, handrails, and ramps.

On the other hand, moving to a care home can also be costly, with annual fees for residential care ranging from £27,000 to £39,000. Thinking carefully about your budget and potential expenses will help you decide if ageing in place is the right choice for you and allow you to plan accordingly.

Along with these three main areas, it’s also important to take into account the following:

How you’ll maintain regular physical activity — Joining local walking groups, going for a weekly swim, exercising in the garden.
Staying in touch with others in the community — Scheduling fortnightly coffee mornings and meeting up for group activities.
Minimising the strain on family members — Splitting check-ins between different family members, neighbours, etc.

5 essential home modifications for ageing in place

Making practical adjustments to your home can make ageing in place easier, but it can also be overwhelming to think about planning out alterations to your home, and you may not always know where to start.

To help you get started, here are five essential modifications to make the transition into old age more comfortable:

1. Use brighter lighting

With age, vision changes can make it harder to find your way around in low-light conditions — even in familiar spaces. In the UK, around 1.6 million older people live with sight loss, which can impact their ease of movement around the home.

Upgrading to brighter lighting, particularly in critical areas like hallways, stairs, and bathrooms, can help make your home easier to navigate and reduce the risk of trips and falls. This is a quick, easy, and relatively inexpensive adaptation that can have a big impact on your comfort level as you age.

If you’re concerned about lighting being too bright, why not invest in adjustable lighting that lets you change the brightness depending on your preferences?

2. Get your bathroom ready

The bathroom can be challenging to navigate as you age, with slippery surfaces providing trip hazards that become far more dangerous in your later years. Adjusting your bathroom may seem intimidating, but it can greatly improve your safety and comfort.

Here are some useful modifications to consider:

Raise the toilet — A raised toilet seat can make it easier to sit down and stand up, reducing strain on your knees and hips.
Install handrails — Placing handrails around the toilet, shower, and bathtub provides extra support when moving around, helping to prevent slips and falls.
Switch to a walk-in shower — Replacing your shower enclosure with a walk-in model removes the need to step over a threshold, making it safer and more accessible. Walk-in bathtubs are also available for those who prefer baths.
Convert to a wet room — If mobility is significantly limited, converting your bathroom into a wet room is a great option to maintain your independence. This allows wheelchair users or those with restricted movement to use the space more easily and safely.

3. Set up ‘smart home’ technology

‘Smart home’ technology can be a great addition if you plan to continue living at home as you age. With smart technology, you can control various aspects of your home — like lighting, heating, and appliances — usually by voice command or through an app on your mobile phone, making daily tasks more manageable without needing to constantly get up and move around.

Many smart home camera systems can also monitor activity around the home and alert specified family members if something unusual occurs, such as a fall or lack of movement in a particular area. This added security layer can provide reassurance for you and your loved ones.

4. Install a home lift

If you live in a multi-storey home, installing a home lift allows you to continue using the full extent of your home without worrying about getting up and down the stairs. Unlike a stairlift, a home lift allows you to travel between floors while seated or standing and can also carry heavy items like laundry or shopping.

Additionally, home lifts can be used by more than one person at a time — making it easy for those living with a spouse to continue enjoying their home without waiting for the lift to become available.

5. Replace trip-hazard flooring

Certain flooring, such as carpets, rugs, polished marble, and sudden changes between floor materials, can present a tripping risk. This can be especially dangerous as you age, with 95% of hip fractures in the elderly being caused by a fall, so replacing it with safer options can help prevent accidents.

Low-pile carpets, anti-slip tiles, and vinyl or linoleum flooring provide stable surfaces that reduce the risk of slips and falls. These materials are also easier to maintain and clean, which is beneficial if mobility becomes more limited over time.

Age in place with Stiltz

With the right adaptations and preparation, ageing in place can be a highly rewarding way to continue enjoying the home and lifestyle you cherish. It keeps you close to your local community and allows you to remain independent.

If you’re starting the process of preparing your home for the future, explore our range of Stiltz home lifts, including our Duo and Trio models.

To learn more about our home lifts, contact us today. Our friendly team are always available to help you find the right option for your home.