Many of the most important aging-in-place decisions happen years before you need them. The home you buy, build, or remodel today may determine how easily you can remain safe, comfortable, and independent later in life.
Key Takeaways
- Ideally, aging-in-place planning starts long before retirement, with the home you buy, build, or remodel in your 40s or 50s. Those early decisions can shape how easily you can age in place decades later.
- Age isn’t the best predictor of when to start planning—your home is. If an injury, illness, or change in mobility would make your house hard to navigate, that’s the signal to make changes early.
- Families who plan proactively often have more choices, lower costs, and less stress than families forced to make major decisions during a crisis.
Why Aging-in-Place Planning Starts Earlier Than Most People Think
Many people assume aging-in-place planning begins sometime in retirement. John Warther, a Certified Aging-in-Place specialist (CAPS) with Changing Places in Tualatin, Oregon, sees it differently.
In his experience, some of the decisions that have the greatest impact on long-term independence are made decades before anyone thinks about aging in place. The home you buy, build, or remodel today may determine how easily you can remain there years from now.
Through both his professional work and his own family’s experiences, John has seen how much easier it is to make housing decisions before a health event or mobility challenge forces the issue.
“I am an individual with a routine. So instead of being reactive, I like to be proactive on things,” he says.
That mindset shapes the way he approaches aging in place. Rather than viewing it as something people address in their seventies, he sees it as a conversation that often begins much earlier, when families are making decisions about where and how they want to live.
What an Aging-in-Place-Friendly Home Looks Like
John’s mother is now 86 and still lives independently on five acres in South Carolina.
She meets with friends once or twice a week to work on quilted barn squares, continues practicing a craft she’s mastered over a lifetime, and stays connected with family. In recent years, John has even flown her to California so she can celebrate her birthday with her twin sister.
His parents built their last home in 2004, when his father was in his mid-60s. They weren’t creating an aging-in-place home. They were simply building a house that worked for them.
Years later, those decisions have made a difference.
When John’s father became wheelchair-bound near the end of his life, the house needed very few modifications – the home’s layout already supported much of what they needed.
Looking back, many of their decisions happen to align with what aging-in-place specialists recommend today:
- 36-inch doorways
- A curbless shower
- Minimal steps into the home
- A layout that functioned primarily on one level
The value of those decisions didn’t become obvious until years later. After John’s father began using a wheelchair, the family didn’t need to undertake a major renovation or scramble to make the house accessible.
Instead, they made one remarkably simple change.
“All they did was go to Harbor Freight and pick up a ramp, and they stuck it in front of the house, and it worked,” John says.
Later, they installed a walk-in bathtub. Because the home’s layout already supported accessibility and flexibility, those changes were relatively straightforward.
The National Aging in Place Council describes home as more than a physical structure—it’s where we have a sense of safety and control. Because their home could adapt as their needs changed, they were able to remain in familiar surroundings rather than make major housing decisions during a difficult time.
Why Planning Early Creates More Aging-In-Place Choices
John has seen what happens when a crisis hits, and families need to be reactive.
Families often begin thinking about aging in place only after a fall, a diagnosis, or a noticeable change in mobility. At that point, decisions need to be made quickly, often while a loved one is already struggling.
What might have been a simple design consideration years earlier can become a months-long renovation project. Bathrooms may need to be reconfigured. Bedrooms may need to move downstairs.
In some cases, the home simply can’t accommodate the necessary changes.
Because his parents had already made aging-friendly housing decisions, the adjustments they faced later were relatively small. Without those decisions, the situation could have looked very different.
That’s one reason John believes the conversation should happen earlier. Proactive planning doesn’t eliminate every challenge that comes with aging, but it often gives families more choices, flexibility, and time to make thoughtful decisions.
“Sometimes, we have to get mom out of the house because of health reasons, or she’s unsafe,” he says. “It’s a reactive situation. If people could actually get it to be proactive, it would help.”
Go deeper: Learn how to talk to aging parents about downsizing without causing conflict.
Signs Your Current Home May Not Be Suitable for Aging in Place
Certain home features can make it more difficult to remain safe, comfortable, and independent over time. While many homes can be modified, these characteristics may require additional planning or renovation:
- Narrow hallways or doorways that may not accommodate a wheelchair or walker
- The primary bedroom is on an upper floor, with no practical option to create a main-level bedroom
- No full bathroom on the main floor
- Steps leading into the home, with a zero-step entrance
- Limited space to install a ramp or other accessible entry solution
- Kitchen cabinets that require climbing on a step stool or ladder
- A bathroom that’s too small to safely accommodate mobility aids or caregiver assistance
- A bathtub that is difficult to step into or out of
- Multiple levels that require frequent trips up and down stairs
- Door handles, faucets, or light switches that are difficult to use with arthritis or reduced hand strength
- Essential laundry facilities located in the basement or another difficult-to-reach area
- A large yard or extensive home maintenance that may become difficult to manage over time
Having one or more of these features doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll need to move. In many cases, thoughtful modifications can make a home safer and more functional. The key is understanding which changes are simple fixes and which may require more significant planning.
John is candid about his own home not being particularly well-suited for aging in place.
The primary bedroom is upstairs, and the downstairs bathroom is what he calls a “pocket bathroom”—too small to comfortably accommodate future mobility needs. As he puts it, “It’s all stairs upstairs, and it’s just not conducive to aging in place.”
Today, he and his wife find themselves paying close attention to the single-level homes in their neighborhood.
“We’re sort of like sitting like vultures right now,” he says with a laugh, “because there are a couple of single-floor dwellings that we’re kind of waiting for people to sell or retire or move.”
Most people don’t think about aging in place when they’re buying a home in their thirties, forties, or even fifties. The future feels distant, and there are plenty of other priorities competing for attention.
Looking back, though, John admits he would approach the decision differently today.
“If I knew the things that I know now, I would have gone with a different house.”
6 Questions to Consider About Aging-in-Place Before You Buy, Build, or Remodel
You don’t need to be retired to benefit from aging-in-place thinking.
If you’re purchasing a home, planning a remodel, or building a custom home, consider asking yourself a few simple questions:
- Could I comfortably live on one level if I needed to?
- How many steps would I need to navigate every day?
- Is there a full bathroom on the main floor?
- Could I convert a main floor room into a bedroom
- Could the home be adapted without major structural changes?
- Do I have a support network around me that can check in on me, take me to appointments, and run errands?
- Would this house still work for me after an injury, surgery, or a change in mobility?
You may never need those accommodations. But if you do, you’ll likely be grateful you considered them before making one of the biggest investments of your life.
Safe, Healthy, Happy: The Goal of Aging in Place
John sums up his approach to aging-in-place conversations in three words: safe, healthy, happy.
The three are closely connected. Reflecting on his father’s experience, he explains, “If you’re not safe and you injure yourself, that just takes your health away. And if you’re not healthy anymore, it’s going to affect your happiness.”
A home that can adapt to changing needs gives seniors more choices, more time to make decisions, and a better chance of staying safe, healthy, and happy — and independent on their own terms.
Go deeper: Read about downsizing and decluttering tips for seniors, and review the senior downsizing checklist.
The Bottom Line
That framework—safe, healthy, happy—is really the heart of aging-in-place planning. There may not be a perfect age to start aging-in-place planning. But there is value in asking whether your current home—or your next home—will support you through the inevitable changes that come with getting older.
John’s parents weren’t trying to create an aging-in-place success story when they built their home.
Yet years later, those decisions allowed his father to remain in a familiar environment with relatively few modifications and helped his mother continue living independently today.
For John, that’s the real lesson — the choices he watched his parents make without a plan are the same ones he now makes deliberately, for himself and the families he works with.
Whether you’re purchasing a new home, considering a remodel, helping a parent evaluate their options, or simply thinking about the future, asking the right questions today can help prevent difficult decisions later.
Considering an Aging in Place Assessment?
If you live in the Portland metro area—including West Linn, Lake Oswego, Tualatin, Wilsonville, Oregon City, or nearby communities—Changing Places can help you evaluate whether your current home supports long-term independence and identify practical improvements that may make aging in place safer and more comfortable.
An aging-in-place home audit can uncover potential challenges, highlight opportunities for future modifications, and help you create a plan before a health event or a change in mobility forces the issue.
Contact us to learn more about how we can help.