Our bedrooms are our sanctuaries – a place for rest, relaxation and recharging after busy days. Despite the fact we spend one-third of our lives in this room, we often overlook it when thinking about safety and accessibility. For best accessibility, a bedroom should be on the ground floor. Many homes were not built with downstairs bedrooms, so this may not be an option. Stairlifts can be added for accessing bedrooms if necessary or a den or other downstairs room can be converted to a bedroom in a pinch.

Keep the mood restful in the bedroom by choosing soothing colors. Shades of blue, green and lavender are ideal... Read the rest

The most popular home remodeling projects are kitchens and bathrooms, according to surveys from the National Association of Home Builders. Homeowners want to improve areas of their home that will give them the greatest return upon resale, but will also benefit them in the meantime. With kitchen remodeling, cabinets are one of the features that people want to change most.

Older cabinets were not primarily designed for function or accessibility, but for style. They had many “dead” spaces that defied access. The shelves were too high or too low or were unreachable black holes in corners. Newer, accessible cabinet designs remedy this with an “Optimum Reach Zone” or ORZ... Read the rest

One of the most important aspects to home safety is the ability of first responders to find your home during an emergency. The house or apartment number must be visible both day and night. If a person is in a medical crisis or there is a fire or a break-in, you don’t want emergency personnel confused by a lack of house numbers. Go to the street in front of your home. Are your house numbers located in plain sight? Are they covered by plants? Have they faded over the years? Are numbers missing?

For ease of visibility, make sure that the numbers are large enough and contrast with the background... Read the rest