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Retirement Housing Checklist Fosters Saftey & Comfort

What's the key to choosing the perfect home for your retirement? Attention to detail can make all the difference, says Don Jacobs, consulting architect for Sun City Anthem, a Del Webb retirement community in Las Vegas, Nevada. "You'll be spending more time in this house, so it's important that it be well designed".

Here's Jacobs' ladder for reaching a comfortable retirement home.
THE BIG PICTURE
What follows is a general checklist for an overall evaluation of your retirement home.
STEPS
Avoid'em if you can by choosing a one-story home.
HALLWAYS
Wider hallways make it easier to move about in the home.
ELECTRICAL
Raise electrical outlets, and lower the switches for easy reach.
Also, luminous switches in the halls, bedroom and baths are a great help.
ENTRIES
For openers, choose levers instead of hard to twist door knobs.
LIGHTING
Design for plenty of natural and artificial light such as skylights
and special task lighting in the kitchen and other work areas.
ROOM TO PLAY
A hobby room for sewing, fly tieing or other craft or computer work is important.

TIPS FOR HOME KITCHEN AREAS
What follows is a general checklist for an evaluation of your kitchen area.
ROOM TO MANEUVER
Make sure you have plenty of space to easily open a refrigerator, dishwasher, or oven door.
Here's another tip. If there are more than one person in the kitchen, does it look like you're doing the Rumba as you squeeze in and out of each other's way. That's an indication of inadequate space.
FLOORING
It's best if flooring materials throughout the house are non-skid,
but these are especially important in the kitchen and bath.
CABINETS
Rollout cabinets make life much easier.
These days, some upper shelves can be installed with a pull-down feature.
MAINTENANCE
Ease of maintenance is crucial. Be aware that grout is harder to clean than a solid surface.

BATHROOM AREAS
What follows is a general checklist for an evaluation of the bath areas of your retirement home.
THE BATH
A master bath with walk-in shower without steps makes excellent sense as we age. A built-in bench or seat in the shower may also be helpful. Hand-held shower nozzles are a great feature. Grab bars are also a sensible addition because they are helpful, safe, and now come in a variety of decorative designs.

So, with a little planning, you can make your retirement housing a lot more safe and comfortable. Del Webb Corporation is a national real estate company headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, with home building experience since 1928. The company is primarily involved in the development of active adult communities across the nation for the 55-plus population.
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