Aging-in-place plan starts with a safe bathroom

Though we would all love to stay young forever, the truth is that as we get older, ensuring we maintain a high quality of life becomes a key issue, and preparing to age in place is one of the best ways to do that.

Aging in place is important, and before you dismiss it, look at your parents, aun-ties and uncles. If they have a great quality of life, they have mapped out their future and their environment. This is crucial to a healthy, long life. Here are some aging-in-place tips.

• Seventy-two percent of all seniors get injured getting in or out of a bathtub, so make the bathroom a safe environment. Be proactive and change that bathtub to a shower or walk-in tub. Install Handi-bars, a seat, heavy-duty towel bars and a non-slip bathroom floor. Spend that extra bit to make it safe for you and your spouse.

• Look at the home flooring and consider a non-slip product. Strategically install handi-bars in your home by the front entrance stairs, inside stairs, key doors, the toilet, bed and other strategic places.

• Check into better lighting in main living areas. Our eyes dim with age just like our balance, so, open the doors to 36-inches wide and install pocket doors when possible to save space.

• Look into hiring a reputable contractor who has experience in aging in place living. Not all contractors are good at aging-in-place remodeling, so make sure they are a full service contractor with a lot of experience in this area.

• Look into an alarm because as we get older, we are not the ball of fire we used to be. Let the police tackle the bad guys, plus, you can have an instant emergency line.

Remember that your quality of life is the key to a happy retirement. You can choose assisted living, but at the cost of $4,000-$8,000 a month, who’s budget can handle that? Spend your money on your home and comfort.

If you want a great contractor on Oahu, call Tropical

Wholesale, which has been working on Hawaii homes for more than 30 years. The company has a showroom at 1351 S. Beretania St. and is open Monday-Friday, 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tropical Wholesale has the products and answers for Hawaii’s living in place needs. Come meet and discuss your aging in place needs with Michael and Matthew Houar, general contractors and experts for aging in place.