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Hi, we are moving in to a newly built home. Our new single story house is in a 55 plus community and is about 1800 ft.². We sold and donated all of our furniture in our previous house rather than pay to ship it 2000 miles and so are starting out fresh. We are currently considering furniture, blinds, drapes and that sort of thing for home. We are seeking items that will make our lives easier while growing older. Beyond having a couple grab bars in the bathroom installed we have not purchases anything else age related. I am 62 and my husband is 70. Both in good health. I am wondering what piece of furniture or appliance or what have you that people have bought that have made their life a lot easier or happier.
I am taking care of my 90 year old aunt and the best thing I have spent money on (too much money) is redoing the master bath to have a walk in shower with a built in bench and grab bars on the wall. It will be good to have when I need it 10 or 20 years from now too. I plan on doing the same to the other bathroom if I can get the funds. It is not usable for my aunt, who has mobilitiy issues, because there is an 8 inch step down into the bathroom. I plan on moving the floor up 8 inches when I have it redone.
Another thing that I am glad I bought is a silicone roof. I have a flat roof and it cost the same to get the silicone, which lasts a lot longer with less maintenance than the tar and gravel roof. The added plus is that it is white so it keep the house about 10 degrees cooler in the summer.
After tomorrow I will be retired! So happy to have that burden of working 40 hours a week lifted.
I am taking care of my 90 year old aunt and the best thing I have spent money on (too much money) is redoing the master bath to have a walk in shower with a built in bench and grab bars on the wall. It will be good to have when I need it 10 or 20 years from now too. I plan on doing the same to the other bathroom if I can get the funds. It is not usable for my aunt, who has mobilitiy issues, because there is an 8 inch step down into the bathroom. I plan on moving the floor up 8 inches when I have it redone.
Another thing that I am glad I bought is a silicone roof. I have a flat roof and it cost the same to get the silicone, which lasts a lot longer with less maintenance than the tar and gravel roof. The added plus is that it is white so it keep the house about 10 degrees cooler in the summer.
After tomorrow I will be retired! So happy to have that burden of working 40 hours a week lifted.
You are doing a beautiful thing taking care of your aunt, and congrats on retiring!
Last edited by volosong; 08-31-2023 at 10:23 AM..
Reason: fixed close quote hypertag
Do you have the pull up for the KitchenAid in use? SO thought it was a good idea - until it was installed. It will take up almost a whole cabinet. Pulling it up loaded with a regular size KitchenAid takes effort. Make sure it snapps into place! It may be stable but the vibration when you run the mixer is scary. Getting it back down is a proceedure.
A no repeat for our kitchen.
Walk in shower, wheel chair wide doors, no stairs and no stairs into garage or onto patio, gas fire place and no carpeting have always been our requirements.
More obscure / luxury accessories:
[] Foot Pedal Sink Faucet Controller - have your kitchen sink or bathroom sink controlled by your foot. Useful if both hands are needed, etc. https://www.amazon.com/Commercial-St...dp/B07X59KMFS/
[] Pot filler - a cold water faucet over the cooktop, so you can fill a pot on the stove. Don't have to lift a heavy pot of water.
Champagne taste / beer budget
[] In the past, there were a number of companies that made "all refrigerators" / "freezerless refrigerators". You could mix and match with an upright freezer and get the capacity of a $4k luxury model for 1/4 the price.
The advantage - you don't have to compromise on placement of "your" items. Each unit is optimized for its function.
The next best "trick" is to buy 2 generic refrigerators with top freezers (with no gadgets to break), to get the capacity of an upright freezer.
Make sure that the thermostat and sensor are easy to replace. We had to replace ours ($20 part), and saved ourselves $300 service call.
I don't have a picture of it but my wife bought my FIL a recliner that will lift you to a standing position (he had problems getting in an out of a chair when he hit his mid 90s).
FWIW, lift recliners are something NOT to get unless absolutely required. Most nurses and docs will tell you that the getting out of a chair motion is vital to keep the lower body and abdominal strength.
There are two-step step stools that come with a grab bar on top. I have one, and it makes standing on it safer.
A bed at the proper height for standing up out of it safely, possibly a four poster for the ability to grab the posts.
After the first couple broken tumblers and glasses, plastic replacements. Finding tiny bits of glass is difficult enough, wandering around in sock feet makes the problem worse. The same for dishes.
Good kevlar gloves for use when cutting slippery or odd shaped items.
Old style notebooks for recording doctor visits and important phone calls. It is amazing how a receptionist will dismount a high horse when told "Let's see, oh yes. I have it written in my notebook. I talked with you on August 21 at 2PM and you said... " Doctor instructions don't get lost, and any insurance issues are more quickly resolved. "No, I did not have that test run that visit. I had ..." (It can be done on a phone, but in a court of law, a notebook that has fixed pages will trump most phone notes.)
A good sitting window and/or front porch. Even if only used a few days a year, they keep a connection with nature and the world around.
FWIW, lift recliners are something NOT to get unless absolutely required. Most nurses and docs will tell you that the getting out of a chair motion is vital to keep the lower body and abdominal strength.
I am pretty sure he was at that point that without some assistance, he wasn't getting out of that chair.
Good to know though for the future. He passed away last year.
I got grab bars for the bathroom. That's about it.
How practical is a built in seat?
Also, I find that in the shower, I wish I had some raised seating or at least raised corners to put my feet up on, one at a time, to soap or rinse. Having nothing but smooth shower walls with a small cutout for a soap dish, you can't put your foot up on anything to raise your leg in a stable position.
I could shower in the bathroom with a tub, but then you have to climb over the tub. Fine for now, but maybe not so good as I age.
I really wish my shower had seating and some place to put my foot up, one at a time.
We had the stairs to the door rebuilt so they are now much easier to climb/walk on. I also put a raised toilet seat on my toilet, that helps a lot.
I would never have thought of a raised toilet seat. That is very practical and useful.
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