The house that Fabgrandpa and I sold in 2000 was a split level. It didn’t matter which entrance you took into the house, you had to go up some stairs. There were also stairs going up to the bedrooms and bathrooms. I bought that house in 1984, when I was in my 30’s. It was a great house for raising kids in, but the longer I lived there, the more I thought about how I would manage if I lived there when I got older. As it turned out for us, we sold that house to go RV’ing.
We spent the next thirteen years living in an RV. It was a tagalong trailer, with just one level, but you still had to go up some steps to get inside. When I cam home from the hospital in 2012, it was very difficult for me to climb up those four steps into the trailer. By that time, we had already bought the house that we live in now. It is a one story ranch style, two bedroom house. There are three steps to get into the house in the front.
Now that I am sixty two and disabled, I think a lot about how to make things easier for me to live in my home. I have blogged about our remodeling, from adding new windows, a new door, new counter tops and a range hood in the kitchen. All of the things we have done were necessary, both for making updates to the house to make it more energy efficient and more eye pleasing, but also to make it easier for us as we get older.
For instance, for that pretty new door, I picked out a door lever instead of a door knob. A lever lets me push down on it to open the door, instead of having to grasp the doorknob and twist it. For someone with arthritis, that makes a big difference in their everyday life. Because I can not bend over to get pots and pans out of the lower cabinets, we choose to get a rack to hang them on. It add a lot to the decor of the kitchen, but also allows me to get the pots and pans I need for cooking by myself, and allows me to put them away myself. Being able to do that helps to alleviate some of my depression.
I decided to talk about these things today, because I was looking at my twitter account, and there was a guy who followed me on there whose profile said that he was the nation’s leading authority on Aging in Place. I have never seen that term used before so I set out to see what exactly it meant. Well, there is a LOT of information on the internet about Aging In Place. From the Aging In Place website:
“Aging in place” refers to living where you have lived for years, not typically in a health care environment or nursing home, using products, services, and conveniences which allow you to remain home as your circumstances change. In other words, you continue to live in the home of your choice safely and independently as you get older.”
I think it is a wonderful idea. Up until today, I thought the only choices for people who are getting older was to either go into an assisted living community, or to go into a nursing home. People who are aging can modify their homes to make it easier for them to live there. With sites like Aging In Place and others like it, older Americans can find the resources they need to remodel or modify their homes to accomodate their needs.
I still have a couple of things I need to make my home an easy place for me to live. I have been looking at installing a walk in shower, but when I looked at some of the resources I found today, I found that there exists such a thing as a “wet room”. This is a trend that started in Europe, and is making it’s way here to the United States.
I would LOVE to have a wet room installed in my home. It is simply an area of the bathroom that is all tiled so that someone can just walk over there and take a shower. It can have doors or not, a shower curtain or not, but the main thing is that it is a very easy and simple idea that makes taking a shower easy for someone who has a disability or who can be off balance. I will be looking more into this in the coming weeks, and start saving my pennies to help make it happen. If you had access to a “wet room” would you have it installed in your home? Do you have a disability that having a wet room would make your bathroom more accessible for you?
I have not received any product or compensation for this post.
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geogypsy2u says
All good ideas to consider. Our homes should be comfortable and safe especially as we age. The wet room is like bathroom/showers I’ve seen in Mexico hotels with exquisite tile. Just won’t work in the 5er.
Martha Russell says
My husband was very ill this past summer and was in the hospital 75 days. We had to do some things quickly to make our home ready for him. We live in what is called a raised ranch which means our main living area is on the top floor. We had installed a chair lift and a walk-in shower both of which makes it possible for us to stay here a lot longer. We also use the chair lift to send baskets of laundry down and bags of groceries up.
Yesterday my husband needed to take a printer downstairs but it was too heavy for him to carry so down it went on the stair lift!!!
Martha Russell
Valerie says
All of your ideas are excellent advice. I have heard of wet rooms before, and I think they are so much simpler than walk-in showers. I hope the trend continues to grow.
Jeannette says
I have never heard of a wet room but with an aging parent I’m going to look into this. It’s so important for homes to be functions as we age.
Just Plain Marie says
I was in the hospital in October for 6 days, after having a hysterectomy. The bathroom was a wet room and it was *amazing*. It was designed with a huge sliding door so that wheelchairs could come in, and the room was big enough that a person could even have two attendants and there would have been room. Because of the surgery I had, it was great to be able to go from toilet to shower without climbing over anything, stepping out, opening or shutting doors, etc.The shower was on a hose so you could even sit on the floor and wash if you needed to. Absolutely wonderful.
Honestly, if I had the money to redesign my house, I’d want a wet room instead of a traditional bathroom.
nicola says
I had a wet room put in in a house in the UK. We also had a seat put it in. It’s a much nicer experience to shower in. I hate those little cubicles you get to shower in. The only thing I would say is, be careful where it is in relation to the toilet. If you get it wrong, you have a permanently wet toilet seat and wet toilet paper. I would also recommend a heated towel rail as it can be harder for towels to dry properly in a wet room. If you wanted to be super fancy get heated floor too. Stepping onto warm floor in a bathroom is a joy to behold 😀
Jenn says
Ive never heard of a wet room but it makes sense and sounds like a great idea. I will have to look into this more for my dad and in laws.
Liz Mays says
I’ve seen what is like a wet room in hotels and I really like the idea. My mom could use this as she’s quite tippy on her feet now after having had several strokes.
Rosey says
I like the wet room idea too. It’s hard to get in and out of the bath or step over a shower lip for my mom sometimes. This would be a good solution for her.
Coralie says
These are great ideas. I am glad I am not to this point yet – but I can put it to use for parents and grandparents. Thanks!
Stephanie Keeping says
These are great tips! I hope to have a long time before I have to do some of these. But you never know.
Krista says
Up until now I had never heard of a wet room, but I quite like it! The one in the picture looks even nicer than the bathroom I currently have, lol!
Chelley @ AisForAdelaide says
I love the idea of a wet room. My daughter has a form of dwarfism and climbing in and out of a tub scares me. I would prefer to just have a “walk-in” bathroom, as I’ve come to call it!
Debi says
A walk in shower would have been perfect for my Grandmom.
thriftyjinxy says
I love staying in hotels that have a wet room. They are so luxurious! I would love to have one in our house.
leechrista says
I read this post twice because I found it so educational. My father is currently aging in place. The VA pays for a lot of things to help him since he is a wounded veteran so that is a plus. They just paid for a bathroom remodel but even more needs to be redone. I’m going to send this post to my sister since she is his primary caregiver. Thanks Karen!
Lee
Sara P. (@SensiblySara) says
I don’t really think about what it would be like to live in our current house with accessibility issues. But I should. That bathroom is amazing and I’d love to see it in my house NOW!
crystal says
As my parents are aging, I’m picking up so many tips and taking notes of what I may need. I will share these tips with my parents.
Avry says
I am floored that you lived in a travel trailer for that long! You are my hero. We have a trailer about that size and I don’t think I could ever do it. I know we will downsize the older we get. I can’t keep up with a 4800 sq ft. home forever.
Mel Outnumbered says
I’m with you – I’d rather live at home. It’s nice that there are products out there to help as well as ways to update your home. I love the wet room idea!
Cat Davis says
I know it’s not quite the same at just 32 but I would love a shower like that just because getting in and out of my tub is getting hazardous. I swear falls at this age are 100x worse than they were when I was a kid.
mommye says
I would love to have a wet room. I couldn’t imagine living in a travel trailer that long.
babesandkids says
The idea of a wet room is not only smart for aging people but for little kids as well. My boys both prefer to take showers and without a lip to get in, they wouldn’t be tripping and it also wouldn’t matter if they got water everywhere!
Mistee Dawn says
Definitely good ideas. We are having to so some things for my grandmother so that her house is more easily accessible for her.
valmg @ Mom Knows It All says
My Mom is in her 70s. She’s had two knee surgeries and still has problems. She is looking into bathroom options as well. Her tub is a big whirlpool with two steps and very hard to get into. But the things that they’ve looked at so far won’t work in her bathroom. It’s a challenge for sure.
Shell Feis says
My in-laws are looking at new houses right now and they are taking things like that into consideration- stairs, ease of entry into the shower, etc. It’s something you definitely don’t think about when you’re young and able, but so important when you get a bit older and have health issues.
veronica lee says
I like the idea of a wet room and with aging parents, I’m going to look into this.