You've heard of boomerang kids - young adults who move back in with their parents. Another trend: aging parents moving in with their middle-aged children.
One in six American families now live in multigenerational households, an increase of 10 percent since the start of the economic downturn in 2008, according to Generations United, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit.
The rise in multigenerational households, as well as a rapidly aging population, has fueled interest in universal design - barrier-free access for people of all ages and abilities. Stepless entries, wide doorways, pull-out kitchen storage and lever-type door handles are just as handy for a young mother with a stroller as for an elder with a walker.
A health emergency often spotlights a home's difficulties for elders.
"When you pull up to your driveway, you don't see all the obstacles your house poses for an older person," said Tom Ashley, who has special certification for remodeling homes for seniors. "A flight of stairs or narrow doorways and a lack of a ground-floor bathroom may be the reason your mom isn't visiting anymore."
More than 3,700 remodelers, as well as builders, architects and designers, are certified as aging-in-place specialists by the National Association of Home Builders. To find a specialist in your area, go to
tulsaworld.com/nahb and type "aging in place" in the search engine.
If budgets are tight, remodelers advise concentrating on bathrooms and transitions into the house. A landscaped ramp or walkway costs between $2,000 and $5,000. A bathroom remodeled with grab bars, an elevated toilet and a curbless shower will run $6,000 to $18,000 or more.
In your loved one's bedroom, focus on safe flooring, lighting and bed height, says New York City gerontologist and interior designer Rosemary Bakker.
"Area carpets can cause a fractured hip," she said. "Replace them with a bare floor or nonplush wall-to-wall carpeting and a thin underpad." A bed should be no higher than 18 to 24 inches, for ease in climbing in and out.
Lavish mother-in-law suites and two-story additions can run as high as $100,000 or more. "But an assisted-living facility can cost upward of $60,000 a year, so a big remodeling project can be cheaper in the long run," Ashley said. "Plus, you add value to your property, and someday you, too, can age in place gracefully."
If you can't afford a major remodel, you can elder-proof a house by removing clutter, says Wid Chapman, an architect and co-author of "Unassisted Living: Ageless Homes for Later Life."
"Get rid of lamps with cords and any unstable furniture," he said.
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Original Print Headline: Home fixes can help aging parents
Finance
Consumer spending is likely to pick up this year, while government spending declines at a faster rate, according to a survey of business economists.
Small-company stocks were a bright spot in a subdued start to the week for Wall Street.
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