Simple Changes for Making a Home Senior-Friendly

Read article : Simple Changes for Making a Home Senior-Friendly

Dear Savvy Senior,

What tips or products can you recommend to help make a home safer and more convenient for aging in place? My husband and I are in our 70s and don't have the money for any big renovations, but we want to do what we can to stay in our house as long as possible.

--Homebodies

Dear Homebodies,

There are lots of small adjustments and simple modifications you can do to make your home safer and livable as you age that are very inexpensive or completely free. Here are several to consider.

Fall-Proofing

Since falls are the leading cause of home injury among seniors, a good place to start is by picking up any possible clutter that can cause you to trip like newspapers, books, shoes, clothes, electrical or phone cords. If you have throw rugs, remove them or use double-sided tape to secure them. And if you have stairs, consider putting handrails on both sides.

Good lighting is also very important, so add lamps or light fixtures where needed, and install brighter full-spectrum bulbs in existing fixtures to improve visibility. Also purchase some inexpensive plug-in night lights for the bedroom, bathroom and hallways, and consider installing motion sensor lights outside the front and back doors and in the driveway.

In the bathroom get some non-skid bath rugs for the floors, put a non-slip rubber mat or self-stick strips on the floor of the tub/shower and have a carpenter install grab bars inside the tub/shower.

And in the kitchen, organize your cabinets so the things you use most often are within easy reach without using a step stool.

Simple Modifications

Growing old can also bring about various physical limitations which can make your home more difficult to use. Some simple solutions, for example, that can help weak or arthritic hands is to replace round doorknobs with lever handles, or get some inexpensive doorknob lever adapters. The same goes for twist knob kitchen or bathroom faucets. You can easily replace them with lever faucet handles that you can purchase for a few dollars in most hardware stores, or get a single lever handle faucet installed.

In the kitchen, you can make your cabinets and pantry easier to access by installing pullout shelves or lazy susans. And D-shaped pull-handles for the cabinets and drawers are also recommended because they're more comfortable to grasp than knobs.

In the bathroom, consider getting a hand-held adjustable shower head installed and purchasing a shower or bathtub seat so you can shower from a safe seated position if need be. And for easier toilet access, purchase a toilet seat riser for a few dollars. This can make sitting down and standing up a little easier, especially if you're 6" or taller.

And, if you get to the point where you need to use a walker or wheelchair, you can adapt your house by installing ramps on entrance steps, and mini-ramps to go over high entrance thresholds. And, you can widen the doorways an additional two inches by installing "swing clear" offset door hinges.

More Tips

For many more tips, visit The Fall Prevention Center of Excellence, and see "The AARP Home Fit Guide" which offers dozens of modification suggestions to make your home safe and livable as you age.

Or, if you want personalized help, get an in-home assessment with an occupational therapist, or OT, who can evaluate your home, make modification recommendations and refer you to products and services to help you make improvements. Medicare will pay for a home assessment by an OT if prescribed by a doctor. Ask your physician for a referral.

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of "The Savvy Senior" book.

High Tech Bathroom Faucets for Digital and Electronic Upgrades

Read article : High Tech Bathroom Faucets for Digital and Electronic Upgrades

The easiest way to upgrade your modern bathroom can be installing a new high tech bathroom faucet, and with today’s innovative technologies many digital and electronic faucets are available to the home owners. Whether it’s a sink faucet or a bidet mixer, there are plenty of high-tech ideas to choose from. If you’re remodeling, we want you to be aware of what’s available now. Read on for the coolest upgrades and sources.

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The high tech bathroom faucet Mood by Noken (above) is a digital sink faucet that comes with a display showing temperature and flow rate. It allows to set programs for teeth brushing, face and hands washing, as well as limits on temperature and flow. It has to be plugged in via a 9V transformer (included), and there is also a battery back-up.

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This faucet (above) is a pat of the Mood collection, a new modular bathroom concept that includes sinks and toilets integrated with mirrors, faucets and other bathroom accessories.

The digital display with electronic controls (above) enables the water flow and temperature to be customized for each use and user needs. Noken.

A bathroom faucet with a sliding temperature control – Regolo by CEA Designs. Not digital but no less cool, one slider controls both the water temperature and the flow.

This creative faucet (above) works with either horizontal or vertical installation. Just move the slider right and left or up and down. CEA Designs.

For those looking for modern aesthetics and trendy upgrade ideas, there is HansaLatrava, a high-tech bathroom faucet from Hansa (above). This electronic basin mixer creates a luxurious water experience with a fine water “curtain” achieved through the specially developed jet. Photographs by Octopus Design, the designers of this faucet.

An integrated control panel with two electronic push-buttons, one to turn it on and off and another to adjust water temperature with the visual help of a LED indicator. Power supply is included by Hansa.

This is totally high tech (above) – the HansaMurano X is a touch-free bathroom faucet activated by an infrared motion sensor that not only turns the water on and off but also senses when someone is approaching and turns on the light, presenting the sink with a pretty glow. The top surface also boasts two sensor buttons to set the temperature.

HansaMurano X was designed for Hansa by Bruno Sacco, a former chief designer at Daimler-Benz.

It’s also a waterfall faucet. “Water pours into sink in a broad but wafer-thin laminar spray, while the fine water curtain is created by a special jet former”. A glass layer is sandwiched between the two chrome plates, giving the faucet its characteristic look. Hansa.

For the ultra-modern high-tech upgrades, there is this cool bathroom faucet collection Ametis from Graff. It includes a vessel sink faucet, a countertop sink faucet, a wall-mounted sink faucet and a bidet faucet, all in single-lever design, and in 3 finishes – polished chrome, black, and white.

The lever on / off handle is a modern touch that maintains the sleek, slender lines of the faucet. A LED light ring around the lever indicates water temperature changes. Graff Faucets.

LED lights turn from blue to red and vice versa as the water temperature changes. A fluid design form with a sleek curve sets the Ametis faucets apart from the rest.

This matte black countertop faucet (above) would be a great fit for an ultra modern bathroom.

Above is the electronic bathroom faucet Nomos F4101 from Fima Carlo Frattini. Wow, it looks very high tech, and it can do a lot. Using the touchscreen display, Nomos allows you to regulate the water flow rate and water temperature, program your personal settings and check your water consumption. In addition, there is an on-screen comfort button that offers water at 38°C in an instant. The faucet will also sound alarm if something isn’t working right.

Nomos F4102 electronic sink faucet (above) has a pivoting spout, otherwise it offers the same features as F4101.

Two more faucets (above) from Fima Carlo Frattini with the same electronic touch-screen but in a more classic contemporary design and with a swivel spout – the bidet mixer Nomos GO F4112 and the lavatory mixer Nomos GO F4111.

Grohe has two digital bathroom faucets to offer with the same high tech wireless functionality: Grohe Veris F-Digital (above) and Grohe Allure F-Digital (below). These are some of the coolest faucets available on the market today as they are operated by a wireless Digital Controller that can be placed anywhere around the faucet.

The minimalist Grohe Allure F-digital sink faucet. The circular control has a square base plate to match the faucet design.

Grohe F-digital wireless Digital Controller changes its LED color from blue to red as temperature gets adjusted.
The On/Off button lets you start or stop the water, the Plus/Minus buttons let you adjust the temperature, and the Outside Dial lets you control the water flow by rotating it. The LED illuminated ring gives you instant visual feedback of the water temperature, and a memory function lets you memorize your preferred settings.

Two modern Grohe Veris F-Digital faucets installed on a double-sink vanity, with two wireless controllers placed side by side.

Grohe Veris F-digital wall-mount basin faucet with digital controller attached to natural stone.

Grohe Veris F-digital bidet faucet with digital controller (above).

The KWC ONO touch light PRO bathroom faucet (above) comes in multiple high-tech designs, suitable for a deck-mount or a wall-mount installation. This is not an ordinary faucet which is quite expected from KWC. For greater installation flexibility, it consists of three independent components – a spout, a programmable electronic control and a mixer valve – all three mounted each at its own location as found convenient.

The KWC ONO touch light PRO wall-mount sink faucet and its electronic touch control installed on the same plate.

Above is the KWC ONO touch light PRO electronic control, with two LED lighted rings. Tap briefly once for cold water (blue), twice for warm (orange) or three times for hot water (red), to call up the pre-defined settings. To set your preferred temperature, simply turn the control. To regulate flow, press and turn the control. To memorize your own settings, press the control and hold it down until the light ring shines purple.
There is also an option for a wireless control unit that can be placed anywhere in the room.

BLOK Electronic faucet from Treemme (above) is an interesting combination of an unusual faucet design and an electronic temperature indicator.

The glowing LED-illuminated ring is embedded within the spout, so you can monitor temperature of the water with ease. This attractive and useful feature adds a futuristic edge!

Faucet integrated into a shelf, Blok is a high tech bathroom solution that is very pleasing on the eye and useful at the same time. Treemme.

Grohe Ondus Digital bathroom faucet (above) is a part of the Grohe Ondus Faucet collection and is in a class of its own.

There are three electronic control options: either an integrated one (with a digital display, also integrated), as shown above, or an external wireless panel or both. Back-lit icons on the touch control make it look high-tech. And of course, the coolest feature – a back-lit digital display that shows temperature in large digits – adds to the futuristic look. For a complete list of exiting features, visit Grohe.

For a bathroom sink faucet, there are two designs available – a deck-mount and a wall-mount. And the deck-mount version can be purchased with an integrated aerator or with the Grohe Ondus flow straightener for a cleaner look (shown). Both designs come in several color combinations including one entirely black for a totally high tech appeal. Grohe.
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For more ideas on high tech bathroom upgrades, check out our shower head trends as well, and for the latest in all fixtures, check the modern bathroom furniture section.