As we grow older, our living requirements change, but many prefer not to make the move to a different home. Aging in place involves modifying your existing home to accommodate your needs as you grow older. What changes can be made to provide safety, security, and independence for the future? Today’s graying homeowners don’t want ugly grab bars and toilet seat extenders. Here are some ways to be proactive on safety in one of the most accident-intensive rooms of the house – the bathroom – without the merest suggestion of the sterile nursing home atmosphere.

Because falling is an extremely serious problem, grab bars should be placed anywhere in the bathroom where footing could be compromised: inside and outside the shower entrance, near the toilet, and within reaching distance of the tub. The key to making grab bars look attractive in your setting is to select decorative ones that coordinate with vanity, tub, and shower faucets. Kohler and Moen offer styles and finishes that will look great with any of their faucets.

Another relatively simple fix as strength and dexterity decrease is to add faucets with lever handles and anti-scald valves. Sleek and smooth-operating one-handle faucets by Grohe are an outstanding example of high style combined with quality and function. They can be turned on and off with one finger! Even easier, Moen Showhouse and Kohler make touchless lav faucets that operate with motion sensors.

To eliminate the difficulty of using a traditional toilet that is low to the floor, change to a comfort-height model. The extra few inches give a welcome boost and can extend independence without having to add a special seat. No one will notice the difference when they see how perfectly the toilet ties in with the other tasteful elements that surround it.

The time may come when converting the bathtub to a shower makes sense. Durable and attractive retrofit shower bases by Swanstone fit into the typical 60″ footprint of a bathtub and are available with the drain positioned either right or left for simplified installation. A shower seat and a hand shower mounted on a slide bar add luxury today and accessibility tomorrow.

At any stage of life, start making the needed changes to age in place, and still have a bathroom that suggests youth and style.