Issue link: https://nest.uberflip.com/i/843660
their toilet, installing adjustable/handheld showerheads, installing base cabinets with rollout trays and lazy Susans, planting low-maintenance shrubs and plants, and adding handrails on either side of stairways. Home service professionals, meanwhile, say the top aging-in-place projects they've been hired to do are installing grab bars, adding entryway wheelchair ramps and increasing the widths of doorways. These findings reinforce the false perception that aging-in-place renovations are reserved only for situations where they are medically necessary and highlight the need to change the conversation from aging-in-place projects that no one wants to thriving-in-place projects that everyone can embrace. The first step toward a national dialog about thriving in place is education. Nearly half of homeowners over age 55 say they are not at all interested in learning more about aging in place, they show, and only 7 percent say they would be interested in receiving a free aging-in-place assessment from a home service professional. This indicates a compelling opportunity for home service professionals, who say they are ready and willing to help homeowners thrive in place. In the years ahead, pros' enthusiasm for professional development in this area will no doubt help them change the aging-in-place conversation to one that's focused on thriving in homes instead of surviving in them. Conclusion "Aging in place" is a misnomer. Whether we're 25, 45, 65 or 85, our homes aren't for aging. They're for thriving. From pancake breakfasts with our kids and Sunday brunches with our friends to holidays with family, movie nights with our spouses and curling up with a good book, our homes are where we do the things we love to do, with the people we love to do them with. Looking at aging in place through a new lens that acknowledges how we live—not just how long we live—will usher in a new What Room Is the Most Popular for Aging-Related Renovations? 48% bathroom 24% entrance or stairway 20% kitchen 16% home exterior 9% overall home