The Lifetime Home
The Lifetime Home is an interactive resource for older adults, families, and professionals to learn how to make the home a safer and more supportive place for a lifetime.
How Do I Use The Lifetime Home?
The Lifetime Home highlights common barriers to safe and supportive aging in the home and features a range of home modifications and universal design features that can address them. Explore the home room by room, view photos from actual homes that demonstrate how design and product changes can support independent living, and visit the Resources page for more information on fall prevention, home modification, and universal design.
Do you want to learn about universal design features and home modifications that can help promote aging in place? Are you concerned about yourself, a family member, or friend falling? The Lifetime Home was developed to provide you with useful information on how to make the home a safer, more supportive, and comfortable place for a lifetime.
- Learn about common problems related to safe and supportive aging in the home, and a range of home modifications and universal design solutions that can address them.
- Explore the home room by room and view photos from actual homes that demonstrate how design and product changes can support independent living.
- Visit the Resources page for more information, including helpful tips on how to find a provider, provider lists, and resources on fall prevention, home modification, and universal design.
Are you a contractor, designer, or other professional who would like to learn more about home modification and universal design? Are you a health care or social services provider who is concerned about your clients falling? The Lifetime Home was developed to provide you with useful information on how to make the home a safer, more supportive and comfortable place for a lifetime.
- Educate yourself, your colleagues, and your clients on common problems related to a safe and supportive home, and a range of home modifications and universal design solutions that can address them.
- Explore the home room by room and view photos from actual homes that demonstrate how design and product changes can support independent living.
- Visit the Resources page for more information, including helpful fact sheets to share with clients and details on the Executive Certificate in Home Modification Program offered by the Fall Prevention Center of Excellence at the University of Southern California.
The Facts
It is important to assess your home periodically, identify problems that could increase the risk of falls, and consider solutions to address them. Use The Lifetime Home to learn how to make the home a safer and more supportive place for a lifetime!
The Problem?
- Most people choose to remain in their homes as they age. Homes that were comfortable and supportive in the past may present problems over time that could lead to avoidable accidents such as falls.
- Among people age 65 and older, falls are the number one cause of injury, hospital visits due to trauma, and death from an injury.
- One in three older adults falls each year, with more than half of all falls occurring in and around the home.
The Solutions?
- Research shows that the optimal way to reduce fall risks for people at moderate to high risk of falls includes medication management, physical activity, and home modification.
- Home modification is changing the environment to make daily activities easier, reduce accidents, and support independent living. This includes removing fall hazards such as clutter, adding supports such as handrails, and changing how or where activities occur.
- Universal design (UD) features create an environment that is easy for people of all ages and abilities to use. UD features, such as pull-out drawers and walk-in showers, are also designed with appearance in mind, and come in a variety of styles.
© 2021 Fall Prevention Center of Excellence
Generously Supported by the Care Institute Group