He knew how to make homes beautiful. But in 1992, when his mother was having trouble getting around due to illness and injuries, interior designer Michael Thomas started making homes livable, too.

Through his business, The Design Collective Group, which is based in Scottsdale, Arizona, Thomas practices a concept called “aging in place,” which is growing in popularity. Aging in place strategies help people stay in their homes during their senior years.

“The clients we’ve been working with and clients coming to our webpage are starting to see they'll need that kind of approach in the design,” Thomas says. The changes that your home may require so it meets your needs as you get older can be subtle, affordable, and pleasing to the eye, he says.

Even if you’re still too young to need these adjustments now, it’s not too early to plan ahead when you’re doing home renovations. After all, you never know when an elderly parent may suddenly need to stay with you, or a sports-playing teenager in your home may break a leg and have trouble getting around for awhile, Thomas says.

He recommends keeping the following areas in mind:

Doorways. If someone in your home uses a wheelchair – or might someday – consider using offset hinges that allow the door to swing away from the door frame. This can create 2 to 3 more inches of useable space in the door. Replacing doorknobs with door handles makes doors easier to open, too.

Bathrooms and kitchens. Similarly, levers on sink and tub faucets may be easier to use than knobs if your hands are weak or affected by arthritis, Thomas says. Your local big-box hardware store should have plenty of options for new faucets.

Falls can be a life-changing event for older people, and bathrooms and kitchens are a prime spot for tumbles. If you’re putting in new flooring, consider how slippery the material will be when wet. Stone or textured ceramic tile can offer options for better footing. If you aren’t planning on changing your flooring, you can also treat certain types of smooth floor surfaces with products that make them less slippery.

Also, consider getting a shower in your bathroom that doesn’t require you to step over a lip or curb along the floor.

Living areas. Use furniture that allows you to safely and comfortably sit down and get back up. For example, chairs with arms and cushioning that allow you to lean forward and push yourself up may be helpful.

Throughout your home, make sure all the areas are well-lit. “As we get older, we lose a tremendous amount of ability to process light,” Thomas says. As a result, your home should have plenty of light switches where you need them, such as by the doorways into rooms and near your bed.

By: Eric Metcalf, MPH
Co-author of The New Prescription: How to Get the Best Health Care in a Broken System
Available now at: http://www.amazon.com/New-Prescription-Health-Broken-System/dp/0757315550

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