One out of three senior adults fall each year. One quarter of the falls result in serious injury requiring admission to a nursing home. Falls are the sixth leading cause of death for seniors 70 and beyond. Some basic steps for boomers to take in planning their new home.

  1. Locate at least one bedroom and bath on the main floor.
  2. Avoid throw rugs.
  3. Good lighting everywhere for good visibility and safety.
  4. Install grab bars in bathroom and shower
  5. Use carpeting on floor surfaces rather than hard surface materials.
  6. Select soft-cornered and upholstered pieces rather than hardwood arms for seating.
  7. Avoid sharp glass surfaces.
  8. Use good color and value contrast from flooring to walls. Poor vision can create difficulty distinguishing changing planes.
  9. Keep floor surface on one level for easy use of canes, walkers and wheelchairs.
  10. Remove door from bedroom to bath so toilet is clearly visible.
  11. Consider acoustical wallcoverings; noise can interfere with hearing aides.
  12. Provide a compact kitchen.
  13. Some modular kitchen units comply with standards set by the Americans with Disabilities Act.
  14. Built-in cabinets maximize storage space. Moving from a large home into smaller quarters is emotionally challenging as you pare down personal mementoes, and furniture accumulated over a lifetime.