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Posted on Tuesday, April 24, 2012 9:27 AM
Question: My husband and I recently retired and decided to move to another area of the country. We sold our larger, family home and purchased a two bedroom condo in our new location. I'm struggling with how to turn this much smaller space into something that feels comfortable. What can you suggest?
Answer: Decorating a small space can be a big challenge, so here are some tips for creating a spacious feeling in your new home.
Stick to a single color palette. A monochromatic room can feel clean and calming. Vary the tones and textures of a single color and keep all of your furniture in a light, muted palette. Break your color scheme with a few saturated accents.
Make your furniture multi-task. Look for furniture that does double duty - a cabinet that folds out into a guest bed, or a desk that expands into a table. These units are completely functional when opened but can easily be minimized when not required to save on space.
Create Illusions. Define different living areas with half walls or open room dividers which help to open up the space visually. Area rugs will do the same thing. Color and contrast also work to make a room appear larger or smaller. The more saturated the wall color is, the more the walls seem to advance towards you creating the feeling of a smaller room. The paler the color, the more the walls seem to recede, making the room appear larger.
Use vertical space as well as horizontal space. Do not ignore the value of wall space. Build shelves under staircases, install floor to ceiling kitchen cabinets, hang pots over your stove and utensils from a wall over a work counter. You can also install open or closed cabinetry over a desk and a built-in medicine cabinet in the bathroom.
Bigger is better. A lot of small furniture can make a room feel cluttered. Instead, arrange the room around a few prominent pieces to make the room feel sleeker. Lightweight pieces in simple designs work best. Furniture with legs make your rooms appear larger as do glass tables.
Work from the top down. An overhead focal point draws the eye upward and increases the visual height of a room. Choose a ceiling color a few shades lighter than your walls for an uninterrupted floor-to-ceiling flow.
Make every closet count. Custom designing your closets will give you maximum use of that very valuable space. Don't settle for a simple rod and shelf -- you'll be amazed at how much storage you can get in a well designed closet.
Select accessories
you love. Keeping
things simple helps a small space seem uncluttered, but a house becomes a home when it’s filled with things you love.
Hang the chandelier you found at the flea market, display the carving
from one of your travels, and hang that well loved quilt. Not only will your favorite accessories make
your home more interesting to others but they will give you a sense that you
are indeed still home.
 Susan Luxenberg President HomeSmart LLC
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Posted on Friday, February 24, 2012 7:27 AM
Question: My aunt is 78 years old and lives in a two
story home. She is starting to have
difficulty managing the stairs up to her bedroom and bathroom due to a
developing arthritic condition. She intends to stay in her home for as long as
she can but does not have the funds for any major remodeling. Would a stair chair make sense and how much
do they cost?
Answer: Installing
a stair lift chair is certainly a practical solution that can be a
cost-effective alternative to remodeling, depending
on the configuration of the staircase.
For example, if the staircase is straight, has no turns, and is not
particularly narrow, you can expect the cost to run between $3500 and $4500
including installation. On the other
hand, if your aunt’s staircase is curved, or there are other factors that might
make installing the stair chair lift more difficult, the cost can rise significantly.
Stair lifts do come in varying models with varying price tags, so researching the
features offered in different models is important to controlling the cost.
Stair lifts can be rented and can also be purchased pre-owned. And while Medicare does not cover the cost of
this equipment, there might be some federal funds available for this type of
home modification. Your local Area
Agency on Aging might have additional information on fund availability.
For more detailed information
on stair lifts, read our blog on Managing Stairs
Question: Are there cell phones that are easier for
seniors to use? My mother often doesn’t
hear her phone ring and never seems to remember how to retrieve her voicemail.
Answer: Many older people have trouble with cell phones because they are too
complex to navigate, are not intuitive, and have screens too small to read. There are a few, however, that have been
designed specifically for the senior market. Here are just two that are available:
Just5 was designed for seniors or people with hearing or
eyesight problems. This phone is simple yet very attractive and well designed.
Features include big buttons for easy
dialing, a “speaking” keypad, which confirms the buttons pressed, an emergency
button, amplified sound, simple keyboard lock and a long lasting battery. There
are no confusing menus, options or settings to frustrate the user. The phone itself is approximately $120, monthly
fees are low, and there are no contracts required.
The Emporia Life Plus was designed for easy reading and the buttons and keypad are easy to
use. The phone is meant to be used closed most of the time. The default screen
is the contact list, so there is no menu navigation when you want to call
someone; just arrow down to the number and hit the big green button. There is a
large emergency button on the back of the phone. Once pressed, it will dial up
to 5 numbers that can be programmed into it. As an added bonus, this phone will
run off AAA batteries when the Li-Ion battery runs down. It offers speakerphone
and text messaging as well.
 Susan LuxenbergPresident HomeSmart LLC |
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Posted on Sunday, September 11, 2011 3:38 PM
Question: My Dad is now having difficulty bending to
sit and stand up from his bathroom toilet.
He refuses to use the full toilet commode that goes over the toilet, claiming
it’s uncomfortable. We’ve looked at
comfort height toilets but they are still not high enough for him to easily
maneuver. We’ve also looked at the high toilet
seats that fit on top of the toilet but we’re afraid those will not be very
steady. How do we solve this problem? Answer: You can use a toilet riser to raise the
height of the toilet. Typically by installing a riser, you can raise the height of
the toilet up to 4”. A toilet riser is bolted permanently to the floor to
create a solid and sturdy base for the toilet.
 There are many benefits to choosing this approach over the toilet
commode or a high toilet seat (aka toilet seat riser): A riser is aesthetically
more pleasing than either a free standing toilet commode or booster toilet seat
that attaches onto the toilet. Because the
riser is placed underneath the toilet, it doesn't draw attention to itself. It blends in to the bathroom and doesn’t look
like medical device.
A riser is permanent,
doesn’t need to be taken on and off the toilet, and is much easier to clean
than either of the other choices.
 You do not sacrifice
comfort when you lift your toilet from the bottom. You can re-use your existing toilet and toilet
seat.
For those who want a
more customized look or height, you can also build a platform/riser under your toilet. Just remember to keep the size of the riser minimal so that it does not extend beyond the toilet seat edge and cause a tripping hazard.
 Susan Luxenberg President HomeSmart LLC
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Posted on Sunday, July 17, 2011 11:40 AM
Question: We
have a guest bathroom that our parents use when they visit. We’d like to install grab bars in the bathtub
and shower area. How do we decide what size grab bars to use
and where to place them? Answer: Many older adults
prefer a grab bar that is 1” – 1 ¼” in diameter as it’s easier to grip,
especially for those with a reduced hand grip. And while grab bars come in
smooth or textured finishes, those that are textured help prevent soapy hands
from slipping. Some grab bars even have
specialty slip resistant designs, like finger grips on the underside of the bar,
to aid in maintaining a firm grip.
While the placement of wall mounted grab bars depends on the
wall structure, plumbing layout, whether bathing or showering, and the
user’s height and range of reach, there are general guidelines you can follow.
1.
On the shorter side wall opposite the showerhead –
Locating a bar here will aid in balance when stepping in or out of a tub or
shower. You can either install a bar vertically or
horizontally on this wall. I prefer a
vertical bar at this location, 18” in length, installed no more than 9” from
the outside edge of the tub wall. The
bottom of the grab bar should be approximately 32”-36” above the floor. If you prefer to place the bar horizontally,
install a 24” bar, approximately 33”-36” above the floor.
2. On the longer wall – Locating a bar here
offers support while standing in the bath or shower. If placing the bar horizontally, use a 24” –
48” bar (depending on the length of the shower area), 33”-36” above the
floor. The horizontal placement assists a user when facing in either direction but is limited to a fixed height. Alternately,
you can install the bar at a 45 degree angle which allows individuals of different heights to access the bar comfortably and will help when getting up
from a shower chair or from the bathtub floor. A diagonal bar also allows for a more natural
and functional hand placement with less stress on the wrist. The lowest end of
the bar should sit approximately 9” above the tub rim and slope upwards towards
the showerhead.
The safest way to install a grab bar is
either directly into the studs, into plywood blocking that has been installed
behind the wall, or with special fasteners that meet the requirement of
sustaining 250 lbs. of dead load force. Grab
bars should never be installed with only plastic anchors and screws directly
into tile and wall board since they may not hold up if pulled on during a fall.
Question: We’ve seen suction style grab bars and grab
bars that mount on the tub. Are these
safe to use?
Answer: There are companies that offer grab bars that
suction, clamp, or screw onto the side of the tub wall. I would not recommend using these style bars
as I have witnessed how easily they can shift or completely detach when being
used to get in and out of a tub. Maybe, when used properly, these bars can help
to stabilize balance BUT one has to be extremely careful not to
pull on them. Installing a grab bar is not
a place to skimp and what appears to be an easy, inexpensive solution could wind
up being quite costly. With the new
fasteners available today, there is little reason not to securely mount a standard grab bar
on the wall, or to use a flip down bar or floor to ceiling pole instead.
 Susan Luxenberg President HomeSmart LLC
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Posted on Saturday, April 02, 2011 5:42 PM
Question: I’ve put tub strips on the bottom of my bathtub to keep from slipping but the tile on the bathroom floor itself gets slippery when it gets wet. Is there anything I can do to make my floor less slippery?
Answer: Today most builders and remodelers install non-slip tile on bath and shower floors to prevent exactly the problem you describe. If you are not planning on changing your floor tile, there are numerous topical applications designed to invisibly increase traction and make your tile, marble, stone, and even wood floors non-slip when wet. The coating does not change the flooring’s color or texture. You can find non slip coatings for your bathroom floor in tile stores or online. Look for the names InvisaTread, SureStep, Grip, It, or Tile Grip, just to name a few. All are easy to install – clean the floor, spread the coating over the floor so that the floor remains evenly wet, let it sit for 20-30 minutes then rinse. Similar to any sealant, the coating will need to be reapplied every couple of years depending on how frequently you wash your floor.
Question: We have two steps leading to our front entrance. My husband is now in a wheelchair and it’s impossible for me to maneuver his chair on these steps. Do you have any suggestions?
Answer: There are many lightweight aluminum ramps on the market that will take care of this problem. First, figure out how long a ramp you need by measuring the total height of the steps. For every inch of height, you will need 1 foot of ramp. So for example, let’s say that each step leading to your front door is 4” high. You will need a ramp that measures 8’ long. You can easily find sources for ramps by going online. You’ll find solid ramps, ramps that fold up (suitcase ramps,) and ramps with and without handrails. The differences have to do with the weight of the ramp, its length, whether or not you need handrails, and how portable you'd like it to be. Just make sure you don’t skimp on the length of the ramp – if you are in between two sizes go UP. You don’t want to feel as if you are losing control of the wheelchair because the ramp is set too steeply. You might also want to consider creating a landscaped, bermed walkway . Your walkway can be sloped from the front door, will provide the same ease of access as a ramp but be much more attractive.
 Susan Luxenberg President HomeSmart LLC
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