Some older Americans splurge to keep homes accessible while others struggle to make safety upgrades

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NEW YORK (AP) — Brenda Edwards calls the four-bedroom ranch-style house she has lived in for 20 years her forever home. It's where the 70-year-old retired nurse and her 79-year-old husband want to stay as their mobility becomes limited.

So she hired an interior designer for $20,000 and spent another $95,000 updating their home in Oakdale, California. She widened the kitchen aisles to accommodate a wheelchair in case she or her husband needed one. The bathroom now has a walk-in steam shower and an electronic toilet seat that cleans the user when activated.

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“We felt comfortable,” Edwards said in explaining why the couple decided to invest in the property rather than downsize. “We have a swimming pool. We have a spa. We have put a lot of love and effort into this arena. We want to stay.”

Even if they wanted to move, it wouldn't make financial sense, Edwards said. Their house is almost paid for, she said, and “it would be very difficult to afford anything else.”

Like Edwards and her husband, the vast majority of adults over 50 favor the idea of ​​remaining in their own residences as long as possible, according to a poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. But staying put is becoming less of an option. Some baby boomers and older members of Generation The surge in housing prices, fueled by weak supply, further complicates home relocation calculations.

Despite feeling restricted, a subset of these seniors have enough extra money to spend on upgrades designed to keep their homes enjoyable and accessible as they age. The demand for inconspicuous safety bars, undermount sinks, residential elevators and other amenities has given home improvement chains, contractors, designers and architects a notable boost.

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Home Depot, the nation's largest home improvement chain, is revamping its Glacier Bay brand to include sleeker, easier-to-use rods and faucets. Rival Lowe's created a one-stop shop in 2021 offering wheelchair ramps, teak shower seats, longer toilets and other products geared toward older boomers.

“They aspire to bathrooms that exude beauty and elegance, with essential accessibility features seamlessly integrated,” Monica Reese, director of trend and style at Lowe's, said of the target customers.

Toto USA, a subsidiary of a Japanese company that introduced the luxury toilet seat in 1980, markets the bathroom fixture to seniors by saying it can help prevent urinary tract infections and ease the burden on caregivers.

Toto USA research showed a 20 percentage point rise in Washlet seat ownership among consumers ages 46 to 55 between early 2020 and the end of last year. The increase indicates customers are thinking about the future, said Garrett Oakley, the affiliate's marketing director.

“The growing older demographic is more knowledgeable about renovations and planning for their future needs, especially as they prepare to age in place,” Oakley said. “They are looking to future-proof their homes thoughtfully and with a focus on luxury.”

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Wendy Glaister, an interior designer in Modesto, Calif., who has worked with Edwards, notes that more clients in their late 50s and early 60s are remodeling their homes for the coming years. A typical bathroom renovation in California costs between $45,000 and $75,000, she said.

“Your home is your safe place,” Glaister said. “Your home is the place where you host your family for the holidays.”

The need for anti-aging properties will become more urgent in the next decade. By 2034, people ages 65 and older are expected to outnumber people under 18 for the first time in U.S. history, according to a U.S. Census report revised in 2020.

But the case has exposed a divide between affluent boomers and low-income boomers regarding their ability to safely shelter in place.

Cathy Perkins, 79, a retired teacher with chronic fatigue syndrome, modified an apartment for a local nonprofit she owns in Beaverton, Oregon. The changes, which cost about $3,000, included replacing her bathtub with a walk-in version and installing a higher-mounted toilet.

Perkins values ​​her independence and said the retirement facilities are beyond her means. “I'm on a fixed income,” she said. “I have Social Security, I have a pension.”

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According to a 2023 analysis of the 2011 American Housing Survey conducted by the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University, less than 4% of homes in the United States combine single-story living with stepless entry, and halls and doorways wide enough to accommodate wheelchairs.

The Harvard Center's analysis found that 20% of survey respondents ages 80 and older with incomes of less than $30,000 reported accessibility challenges, compared to 11% of those with incomes of $75,000 or more.

Jennifer Molinsky, director of the Center's Senior Housing and Community Program, urges policymakers to address the shortage of affordable housing suitable for seniors.

“There are all these options for those who have a lot of money,” Molinsky said. “But there is a lot of disparity. There are people who, through no fault of their own or systemic reasons, may not have the money to adjust.

Gene Carr, 67, and Sally Carr, 65, have lived in their two-story, four-bedroom house in Henderson, North Carolina, for 27 years. The couple had the money and vision to renovate in August 2022, hoping to remain in their home for at least another 20 years.

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They hired builders to build a master bedroom and bathroom on the first floor, both wheelchair accessible. As the project neared completion a year ago, Gene Carr suffered a minor stroke, which he described as a “wake-up call.” Carr said his condition has improved, but the renovations have made it easier to deal with persistent balance issues.

“We have two older pets, and they don't like coming up and downstairs anymore either,” he said.

As retailers respond to the discomfort of aging in American culture, Nancy Berlinger, a senior scholar at the Hastings Center in Garrison, New York, who collaborates with Molinsky, encourages future home renovators to stay open.

“We've all learned to love OXO Good Grips and other simple, functional designs that work, so we can learn to love bars, too,” she said.

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