Housing » Modifications for Housing
Why It's Important
Some older adults do not have the accessible home features they need to live safely
and comfortably on their own. Demand for accessibility improvements is likely to
increase in the future as older, very frail persons become a larger share of the
senior population.
Various federal- and state-funded programs encourage the construction or rehabilitation
of affordable housing - including accessibility improvements - and help low-income
people pay their housing costs. These programs range from loans or grants to encourage
affordable housing to funds for repair and replacement of inefficient heating and
cooling systems.
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How the U.S. Is Doing
The purpose of the paper is to provide guidance for future research on costs and
benefits, and to illustrate the role of home modifications in efforts to reduce
the cost of fall injuries.
- Among older persons, the majority (55 percent) of fall injuries occurred inside
the house. An additional 23 percent occurred outside, but near, the house, and 22
percent took place away from the home.
- Approximately 43 percent of indoor and outdoor fall injuries among older persons
occurred at floor or ground level (that is, not from a height). Fourteen percent
of falls took place on stairs or steps, 11 percent from a curb or sidewalk, and
nine percent from a chair, bed or other furniture. Around four percent involved
the bathtub, shower or toilet. Locations for 26 percent of the falls were unspecified
or "other."
- Around 51 percent of older households containing at least one person with a physical
limitation did not have any type of home modification at all; 23 percent reported
one modification, 10 percent reported two modifications, and 12 percent reported
three or more. The most common modifications reported were: extra handrails or grab
bars (29 percent), wide doors/hallways (10 percent), accessibility features in the
bathroom (10 percent), and ramps (9 percent).
(AARP PPI FALLS 2002)
According to a report from the Federal Interagency Forum on Aging Related Statistics
entitled, Older Americans 2008: Key Indicators of Well-Being:
- Housing with severe or moderate physical problems such as lacking complete plumbing
or having multiple upkeep problems, has become less common.
- In 2005, 5 percent of households with people age 65 and over had inadequate housing,
compared with 8 percent in 1985.
- 6 percent of U.S. households overall reported living in physically inadequate housing
during 2005 compared with 8 percent in 1985.
(INTERAGENCY FORUM ON AGING RELATED STATISTICS, OLDER
AMERICANS 2008: KEY INDICATORS OF WELL BEING, 2008)
According to a recent survey taken by the National Association of Home Builders
in a report entitled, Single Family Accessibility or Visitability:
- The NAHB surveyed remodeling companies in 2007, 72% of the respondents reported
modifying homes for aging-in-place needs, up from 60% in 2006. In additions, 75%
of remodelers noted an increasing number of requests for aging-in-place features
over the past five years.
(NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF HOME BUILDERS,
SINGLE FAMILY ACCESSIBILITY OR VISITABILITY, 2007)
According to Hammel:
- More than one-third of older adults reported feeling concerned about being forced
into a nursing home as a result of barriers in their home. They also said they found
it difficult to find and afford help to modify their homes to meet the needs.
(UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO, THE IMPACT OF HOME MODIFICATION
SERVICES ON COMMUNITY LIVING AND PARTICIPATION
OUTCOMES FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE AGING WITH DISABILITES, 2005)
According to Houser:
- 4.6 million ( 13 percent) of the older population had difficulty with at least one
daily activity.
(AARP PUBLIC POLICY INSTITUTE,
NATIONAL HEALTH INTERVIEW SURVEY, 2005)
According to a recent report from AARP entitled, Increasing Home Access: Designing
for Visitability:
- Approximately 22 million persons ages 65 and older reported having physical difficulties
in 2006. Of that number, about 14 million persons reported having difficulties walking
a quarter of a mile and 11.5 million reported difficulty climbing ten steps without
resting.
(AARP PUBLIC POLICY INSTITUTE, INCREASING HOME ACCESS:
DESIGNING FOR VISITABILITY, 2008)
Data & Information Sources
AARP Public Policy Institute Research Report, Falls Among Older Persons and the
Role of the Home: An Analysis of Cost, Incidence, and Potential Savings from Home
Modification, 2002
http://assets.aarp.org/rgcenter/il/ib56_falls.pdf
AARP Public Policy Institute, Increasing Home Access: Designing for Visitability,
2008
http://assets.aarp.org/rgcenter/il/2008_14_access.pdf
Federal Interagency Forum on Aging Related Statistics
http://www.agingstats.gov/agingstatsdotnet/main_site/default.aspx
Federal Interagency Forum on Aging Related Statistics, Older Americans 2008: Key
Indicators of Well-Being, 2008
http://www.agingstats.gov/agingstatsdotnet/Main_Site/Data/2008_Documents/OA_2008.pdf
Hammel, J., L. Fogg, J. Sanford, D. Walens, J.G. Dahl, A.Gossett, K.Pietraszk, and
K. Jopa, The Impact of Home Modification Services on Community Living and Participation
Outcomes For People Who Are Ageing with Disabilities: Final Report. RRF
Grant #2001-328. Chicago, Ill.: University of Illinois at Chicago, 2005
http://jrm.medicaljournals.se/files/pdf/40/4/914.pdf
Houser, A. 2007. Long-Term Care. Washington, D.C.: AARP Public Policy Institute.
http://assets.aarp.org/rgcenter/il/fs27r_ltc.pdf
National Association of Home Builders, Policy Single Family Accessibility or Visitability,
2007
http://www.nahb.org/generic.aspx?genericContentID=37885&print=true
The National Resource Center on Supportive Housing and Home Modifications, Guide
on ADUs
www.homemods.org
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey
http://www.census.gov/acs/www/