Creating a forever home

FALL 2021

VOL. 26

NO. 3

KNOW-HOW YOU NEED TO GET HOME UPGRADES DONE RIGHT

Just about everyone wants to live at home, well, forever, says James Vitale, an Altadena, CA, architect who specializes in disability access. But fewer than half of those age 55 or older and planning to remodel in the next three years paid attention to making their homes age-proof, a recent study by Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies found.

Th is mind-set is changing, however, driving up the value of homes that are safe and comfortable for all, especially in areas that promote walkability and community ties. Call it universal design, accessibility, aging in place, or simply living in place; the goal is to make life easier for people of different ages and abilities, and it