September 17, 2019

Prepare Yourself And Your Home For Aging Before Hiring A Home Healthcare Agency

It is a natural biological phenomenon that your body will change as you grow old. You will not be able to do things that you could do easily or took it for granted at your young age. Now, since your old and your physical strength will not support such activities anymore.

You will not be able to drive in the evenings when you suddenly remember that you need to buy something from the grocery store.
You will even need help to visit your doctor, take your medicines, bathe and even cook your meals and eat.

At this age and times, you will need to make proper and meticulous plans to execute such acts, if you want to do it on your own.

On the other hand, at most, you will need a full-time companion to do all your jobs in your daily life. In such situations, a home care or home health care provider or an agency will come to your help.

However, just as living on your own when you age is not an easy job, it is also not an easy task to hire such an agency that will back you up properly and at all times. You will need to consider a lot of such home health care agencies in Philadelphia and compare their services and cost to make the best choice.

Making the place suitable

When you have made the final decision to age in your place and even have chosen the right kind of home health care aide for that matter, you will now need to make sure that both you as well as the home health care provider are comfortable living in the space together.

That means you will have to make the place suitable and make the necessary changes that are essentially required to make in your home suitable for you to age living in it. For this, you may need to repair and even make some additions in your home.

Remember, as per the state and federal laws for home health care aides you will need to:

Make arrangements to accommodate the home caregiver in a separate room
Provide time off within their service and
Abide by all federal laws.

Therefore, your home needs to change. This is essential to deal with several issues related to old age such as:

Reduced vision
Less mobility
Joint problems and arthritis and others.

It is a modified home that will lessen these issues when you age in your home keep you safe and happy.

Plan your home renovation

Most of these changes to the home are fairly inexpensive and easy to make such as:

Changing the knobs on doors and kitchen cabinets to levers
Removing the rugs, mats and other items to reduce the risk of slipping or tripping
Putting on strong handrails on stairs
Installing grab bars in tubs
Using chairs in showers
Brightening the interior lights
Equipping the home with motion detectors and more.

Since all homes are not suitable for a person to age in it, there may a few where you will need to make significant changes. At times you will need to shift your master bedroom to the main living floor and may even have to install an elevator. These are changes that will need a significant amount of money as well.

Therefore, in order to make the most out of your money and investment as well as the available space within your house when you have to renovate your home, you should plan it well and only focus on your needs as well as that of the home caregivers.

Do not go for any extravagance but stick to the basic necessities instead. Remember, these are not just one-time needs and investments.
You will need repairs to be done regularly, taxes on your real estate to pay and make other necessary expenses.

Since you will live on a fixed income, you should be all the more careful with your finance so that you can deal with any emergencies as and when it occurs. Therefore, make sure that you plan both for your short term as well as your long-term benefits when you age and continue to live on, happily and in a healthier way.

A word of caution

Whatever you do to your home, just make sure that you make the modifications well before you need them. There are of lots of benefits when you plan ahead such as:

It will reduce the chances of any accidents or falls and
You will not have to look frantically to make arrangements for modifications right at the time when they are needed.

Planning ahead will keep you well prepared for any need and situations as well as help your aide to ensure the best care is provided when they are needed.

When you are unsure about what to change and what not to, you can look into a few good sources to get some ideas about modifying your home. This will help you a lot since everything in a home is not required to modify to age in place and sometimes things may not be as obvious as you may think either.

One such good source is the National Association of Home Builders that may refer you to the Certified Aging in Place Specialists or CAPS.
Another good source is AARP.

Last but not least, you should review and update your situation and make amendments in the process as and when required. It is obvious that situations will change over time and it can be for better but mostly it will be for the worse.

When you review the situations with the help of your home health care aide on a regular basis you will know what all changes and removals you need to make in your home. At the same time, you will also need to review the services available that too may require to be changed according to your need.

Trust the person with whom you review with to make sure aging in place is still the best option for you.
[…]
Related:
When is it Time for Assisted Living for Seniors?
Home Adaptations for the Elderly
Senior Living Facilities Explained
How to Help an Aging Parent

September 17, 2019January 27, 2022

Minor Home Improvements For A Massive Difference

When the housing market is booming like it is right now in 2022 you might be in the market for purchasing your very first home, you may have already realized that opting for a smaller property would be a realistic solution, or you may have considered the affordability of homes that need some TLC.

Before purchasing, you should ensure that you are definitely getting the best mortgage deal. A fantastic way to determine your affordability, while gaining real insight into how much your repayments would be is to take advantage of mortgage calculators available from Habito. While the asking price is usually substantially lower on properties that have not been maintained, you may be questioning how you could possibly afford improvements. Luckily, there are quite a few minor improvements that can make the most notable difference.

Update The Lighting

Even though you may not have inspected the lighting situation in the property just yet, you may be quite surprised to discover just how much of a difference correct lighting can make. Not only can you select lighting fixtures in these galleries that double up as charming accent pieces, but you can also easily adjust the atmosphere within your home with your lighting choices. It would be wise to consider energy-efficient options while carefully considering the aesthetic appeal of the fixtures.

Bathroom Touches

Remodeling your bathroom would be quite costly, and somewhat unnecessary considering you could only upgrade small details such as doorknobs, faucets, towel railings and add a few final touches with attractive coordinated decor items. The small changes will, in fact, make a notable difference. However, you should avoid overdoing things in the bathroom as a cluttered space is never pleasing. This means you should opt for a simplistic approach when decorating your bathroom.

A Fresh Coat Of Neutral Paint

Repainting the interior of your home is possibly one of the most cost-effective home improvements that will make a massive difference. You should consider neutral colors and ensure that the color choice for each room will flow effortlessly with the next.

Kitchen Details

As with remodeling a bathroom, you may be dreading the estimated costs of upgrading your kitchen. Although, by taking on the same money-savvy approach and only upgrading details in your kitchen, you won’t have to spend a fortune to improve the area. Splashing out a bit on countertops may be a wise investment; however, you could consider repurposing materials as much as possible to make the project affordable.

Don’t Move With Clutter

Far too many people make the mistake of moving into a new home with too much clutter. Rather than packing up absolutely everything, you should leave behind unnecessary items. You may find that your old curtains would not do your new home justice, which means you should rather leave them behind. It may be a bit tricky to let go of unneeded items on moving day, although, the effort will prove well worth it once you have settled into your new home. Packing with a plan is also a fantastic way to avoid moving with clutter, instead of simply throwing everything into boxes.

On the other hand, if you’re moving to a place like London and you have some stuff you’re not quite ready to let go of you can easily arrange a cheap self-storage unit in London to store the items away in advance. This will take some stress off your mind as moving, in general, is quite a stressful and time-consuming process.

Related:
4 Ways That New Home Buyers Can Negotiate a Good Deal on a House
7 Strategies To Follow Your Budget During A Home Renovation
Common Obstacles To Avoid When Selling Your Home
This post has affiliate links, which means I might earn some cash if you click on a link, with no cost to you.

September 17, 2019

High-Tech Hosting – 4 Ways Technology Can Take The Stress Out Of Airbnb Hosting

Wireless Image by Link Hoang on unsplash

So, you’ve decided to take the leap and list your home on Airbnb. The extra income is going to be wonderful, and as a bonus, a top host rating boosts your chances of scoring any places you want to be a guest in. However, the stress that comes with welcoming strangers into your home is less than ideal.

Luckily, we’ve come a long way from the days of traditional house swapping where you simply handed over the keys and hoped for the best. As technology advances, so too does society, and this is nowhere more true than in the family home. So, how can you use this to your Airbnb-loving advantage?

Lock it down

For starters, you can use it to improve your front line defenses. We’re talking, of course, about implementing smart Bluetooth door locks for your Airbnb property. Traditional locks and keys have kept our homes safe for years, but as time goes on, they provide less and less security. A key, for example, is easily lost or stolen, and many basic locks won’t stand up to the test of someone trying to break in.

A Bluetooth smart lock, by contrast, is operated via your guest’s smartphone, providing much more security. They’re far less likely to lose their phone than a random set of keys that they’re not used to carrying, and in the unfortunate event that something does happen to their digital pass to your premises, you can simply void the code they’ve been issued, thus protecting the integrity of your home. In this way, guest carelessness can only affect them, not you.

Monitor vital signs

Security systems are now more sophisticated than ever, and it is quite easy to keep track of what’s going on in your home. We’re not saying you should set cameras up everywhere and watch your guest’s every move (in fact this is a very bad/illegal idea), but you can have your alarms linked to your cell phone to let you know if anything untoward happens. Bonus points if your system also notifies the local branch of your security company and has someone sent out to check on things.

Have a smart set up

While smart devices such as sensor lights, smart home portals, and linked appliances may not seem all that vital to the running of your Airbnb property, they add convenience and comfort that will increase your ratings while also protecting your home. By simplifying processes, you make your guest’s lives easier and reduce the opportunities for breakages or other issues to occur.

Keep on top of daily tasks

This one links up with the previous point, but it is more for your convenience than that of your guests. Making sure that the garden is watered and the floors are clean is pretty hard when you’re not home – unless you enlist technology to do it for you. There are plenty of automated vacuums on the market that can whizz around and give the floors a quick tidy while your guests are out sightseeing. Meanwhile, self-watering planters are perfect for keeping your house plants in top shape, even when you’re not there to care for them yourself.

Not every form of technology will be right for every home, but the ones on this list make perfect all-rounders for taking the stress out of your Airbnb hosting experience. They’re also completely expandable if you decide you want to upgrade your system or further automate your home (for yourself or future guests). With all of that taken care of, there’s little more to say but happy hosting!
[…]
Related:
Types and Buying Guide of Security Systems
Seven DIY Home Security Tips
Home Security Tips -5 Low Cost Options for Your Frugal Home