Great article! When my kids and I were planning for how to help me be safe at home after my recent total knee replacement, we removed my glass shower doors (replaced with a clear shower curtain) and installed a grab bar in the tub surround. The clear shower curtain and a non-slid bath mat cost me less than $50; the grab bar installation was $150 and well worth it. It's a tiny bathroom, but I want it to be my bathroom for another 20 or so years, so I might as well get ahead of the curve.
That sounds really smart, Freda. You made some solid upgrades without spending a fortune, and it’s great that you’re thinking long-term about comfort and safety.
You don't necessarily have to have a shower seat “installed.” You can buy shower chairs that can fit into a shower (but probably NOT a shower/tub combo.
There are great shower “benches” that fit shower/tub combos: one set of legs sits outside the tub, and one set inside. You sit down outside the tub, swing your legs over the tub, and slide. There are even shower curtains with splits in them to accommodate the bench.
Thanks for these tips.❤️👍 I am planning to sell and move into a condo. Due to my vision loss(right eye, left eye is not the best)and mobility issues my current home is not working for me. I do have motion sensor lights throughout the inside-bedroom, bathroom, even my dog’s room who is 15 with slight vision and hearing loss.😊Due to hip replacement, I have a bedside commode if I wake up in the middle of the night with a motion sensor lights throughout.
This is all excellent advice, and I love the phrase about reducing friction — a concept from consumer marketing that applies beautifully to everyday life. In essence, it’s about making living safer and simpler.
Our home is 2 story but we use mostly the ground level which is where our primary suite is. I’m so glad for the layout of this house! When we recently remodeled our master bath, I made sure to tell them to put in reinforcements or whatever for a future grab bar. We also made the shower larger so it can fit a shower seat in the future if needed.
I don’t know why grab bars aren’t installed in every bath and shower. Children learning to use a shower, a teenager with a broken leg, a young mother recovering from a difficult birth, a middle aged man who had an appendectomy, you never know when you’ll need them. And now grab bars come in modern styles that don’t make your bathroom look like a hospital room.
Great suggestions and encouragement! We recently renovated our bathroom and added grab bars and a bidet! A bidet sits up higher than a regular toilet seat but also helps the user ensure everything is out and then cleans things up with warm water so little wiping is needed! I am determined not to have to move out of my house cause i can’t wipe my own bum and the bidet takes care of that beautifully!
Love this! Honestly, bidets might be the unsung heroes of aging gracefully 😂 Warm water, less wiping, and way more dignity — what’s not to love? You’ve basically upgraded to luxury bathroom status. Bet you’re wondering how you ever lived without it!
Yep, that’s a big one. When the ‘downsizing’ option costs half a million for one bedroom, staying home looks like the only reasonable choice for a lot of seniors.
You're not worried that having one or two elderly people living in an aging house made for 3 to 5 is kind of selfish, while young families can't find homes?
Good question. I don’t think it’s selfish — it’s a market and design issue.
Most older adults would downsize if there were affordable, one-level, accessible homes near their doctors, friends, and transit. Those are hard to find. Add in moving costs, taxes, and the risk of losing their support network, and staying put becomes the practical choice.
If we actually want to free up family homes, we should:
- build more small, accessible homes and senior-friendly rentals in existing neighborhoods
- offer relocation help and tax breaks for downsizing
- support home-sharing or renting out rooms for those open to it
(and plenty more ideas like that)
That way, seniors keep safety and community — and young families get more housing supply. Blaming people with the fewest options doesn’t solve anything; fixing the options does.
They’ve worked hard their whole lives to obtain what they have. It doesn’t bother me.
My mother-in-law and my next door neighbor spent their whole lives caring for their homes exquisitely. They fixed everything as soon as it broke or got worn down, remodeled, and were perfectionists about their yards. So much energy! Both of them stayed in their houses until they died. Myself, I couldn’t imagine living in the house that we raised the kids in, who have now moved out except for one—by myself if my husband died. It would be too lonely.
Great article! When my kids and I were planning for how to help me be safe at home after my recent total knee replacement, we removed my glass shower doors (replaced with a clear shower curtain) and installed a grab bar in the tub surround. The clear shower curtain and a non-slid bath mat cost me less than $50; the grab bar installation was $150 and well worth it. It's a tiny bathroom, but I want it to be my bathroom for another 20 or so years, so I might as well get ahead of the curve.
That sounds really smart, Freda. You made some solid upgrades without spending a fortune, and it’s great that you’re thinking long-term about comfort and safety.
You don't necessarily have to have a shower seat “installed.” You can buy shower chairs that can fit into a shower (but probably NOT a shower/tub combo.
There are great shower “benches” that fit shower/tub combos: one set of legs sits outside the tub, and one set inside. You sit down outside the tub, swing your legs over the tub, and slide. There are even shower curtains with splits in them to accommodate the bench.
Thanks for these tips.❤️👍 I am planning to sell and move into a condo. Due to my vision loss(right eye, left eye is not the best)and mobility issues my current home is not working for me. I do have motion sensor lights throughout the inside-bedroom, bathroom, even my dog’s room who is 15 with slight vision and hearing loss.😊Due to hip replacement, I have a bedside commode if I wake up in the middle of the night with a motion sensor lights throughout.
That sounds like a good plan—and you’re already way ahead with the motion lights and bedside commode!
This is all excellent advice, and I love the phrase about reducing friction — a concept from consumer marketing that applies beautifully to everyday life. In essence, it’s about making living safer and simpler.
Why I — a senior— am doing all I can to stay on my home:
Senior housing costs too much. I own my home.
End of story.
Totally get it. Owning your home gives you security and control — no rent hikes, no crazy fees. Makes perfect sense to hang on to it.
Thanks for this. We have a bathroom remodel on the list, but we may need to install grab bars now as we keep pushing it out.
Our home is 2 story but we use mostly the ground level which is where our primary suite is. I’m so glad for the layout of this house! When we recently remodeled our master bath, I made sure to tell them to put in reinforcements or whatever for a future grab bar. We also made the shower larger so it can fit a shower seat in the future if needed.
That’s smart planning. Having everything on the main level makes life so much easier, and adding those reinforcements now saves a headache later.
I don’t know why grab bars aren’t installed in every bath and shower. Children learning to use a shower, a teenager with a broken leg, a young mother recovering from a difficult birth, a middle aged man who had an appendectomy, you never know when you’ll need them. And now grab bars come in modern styles that don’t make your bathroom look like a hospital room.
Agree entirely—grab bars are helpful for everyone!
Great suggestions and encouragement! We recently renovated our bathroom and added grab bars and a bidet! A bidet sits up higher than a regular toilet seat but also helps the user ensure everything is out and then cleans things up with warm water so little wiping is needed! I am determined not to have to move out of my house cause i can’t wipe my own bum and the bidet takes care of that beautifully!
Love this! Honestly, bidets might be the unsung heroes of aging gracefully 😂 Warm water, less wiping, and way more dignity — what’s not to love? You’ve basically upgraded to luxury bathroom status. Bet you’re wondering how you ever lived without it!
or maybe because the buy-in to a Continuous Care Facility in my area is almost $500,000 for a one bedroom.
Yep, that’s a big one. When the ‘downsizing’ option costs half a million for one bedroom, staying home looks like the only reasonable choice for a lot of seniors.
You're not worried that having one or two elderly people living in an aging house made for 3 to 5 is kind of selfish, while young families can't find homes?
Good question. I don’t think it’s selfish — it’s a market and design issue.
Most older adults would downsize if there were affordable, one-level, accessible homes near their doctors, friends, and transit. Those are hard to find. Add in moving costs, taxes, and the risk of losing their support network, and staying put becomes the practical choice.
If we actually want to free up family homes, we should:
- build more small, accessible homes and senior-friendly rentals in existing neighborhoods
- offer relocation help and tax breaks for downsizing
- support home-sharing or renting out rooms for those open to it
(and plenty more ideas like that)
That way, seniors keep safety and community — and young families get more housing supply. Blaming people with the fewest options doesn’t solve anything; fixing the options does.
They’ve worked hard their whole lives to obtain what they have. It doesn’t bother me.
My mother-in-law and my next door neighbor spent their whole lives caring for their homes exquisitely. They fixed everything as soon as it broke or got worn down, remodeled, and were perfectionists about their yards. So much energy! Both of them stayed in their houses until they died. Myself, I couldn’t imagine living in the house that we raised the kids in, who have now moved out except for one—by myself if my husband died. It would be too lonely.
I was 40 before I could afford to move into a one bedroom condo.