Age-appropriate Living

2023 Author: Wallace Forman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-08-25 11:04

From the retirement age, the apartment becomes more and more the center of life. Most senior citizens would like to be able to live independently in "their own four walls" for as long as possible. Around 90 percent of all older Austrians therefore live beyond the age of 60 in their familiar surroundings or in apartments or houses that they have been familiar with for years. Age-appropriate living sometimes requires some renovation work in the house or apartment.

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Living at home
Remodeling the apartment
Funding for conversions

Active life also means making your living situation as comfortable as possible in old age. In the course of life, the needs and requirements of an apartment change. Even small changes and openness to new things can significantly increase the quality of life in your own four walls - and also the value of the apartment - e.g. modernizing the bathroom or installing modern appliances in the kitchen. Physical limitations shouldn't be the only impetus for change. A big step towards a better quality of life can also be moving to a new apartment that better meets the needs, e.g. with an existing elevator, a more convenient location, etc.

Living at home

Many people feel more comfortable when they can maintain their individual lifestyle in old age. Quality of life also means being surrounded by items that are worth remembering and knowing what is where in the home. However, with increasing age, personal living requirements can also change. Any age-related restrictions such as loss of hearing and vision or mobility as well as physical illnesses or mental impairments influence our demands on a living environment that should remain comfortable and pleasant.

For example, stairs can become an insurmountable hurdle for people with walking difficulties. Door thresholds, sockets close to the floor, the conventional bathtub or shower make life difficult for people with restricted mobility.

Remodeling the apartment

As a precaution, it is wise to think about alternatives to stairs and thresholds as well as practical bathroom and kitchen sizes that can also be used with a walking aid or wheelchair. It may be necessary to convert a large house into smaller units. It is never too late for meaningful modernization and renovation measures. Because: The fewer obstacles there are in the living area, the longer it is possible for older people to live at home. This means that any maintenance that may be required can be made easier.

What distinguishes a barrier-free apartment suitable for the elderly? The criteria include, for example:

Barrier-free access to the lift
Threshold-free access to all rooms
Door widths of at least 90 cm
Good, glare-free lighting
Sufficient light switches at a height of 80 to 100 cm
Sockets at least 40 cm high
Shower accessible without thresholds or sloping shower drain
Fold-up support rails for the toilet
Beds should be movable and accessible from three sides

Further information and addresses can be found in the following brochures from the Ministry of Social Affairs:

Live safely - live better
Barrier: Free! Handbook for barrier-free living

Funding for conversions

Conversions for senior citizens' apartments are funded in all federal states. Definitely worth inquiring about. And as a nice side effect, a renovation can bring an increase in value.

You can find out more about housing subsidies on the websites of the federal states: