When it comes to aging in place, modifications to your bathroom and kitchen faucets can be an easy renovation to do. This relatively inexpensive change can make things easier for you. You may be able to install on your own, have family assist you or call a plumber to make the change over for you.
Most of our home has this typical round knob faucet in our sinks and bathtubs.
The trouble is, that as we age, turning a knob may become difficult. We may lose the ability to ‘twist’ the knob. A decrease in hand strength makes it hard to start or fully stop the flow of water. Arthritis in our hand may make it difficult to grab a knob handle. And lastly, if you need an assistive device, those ‘grabbers’ don’t like to twist.
What is best, is a lever style handle.
A lever style handle often takes less effort to turn on or off. You can push/pull it with your fingers, your wrist, your elbow or even a grabber assistive device. You can tie a string to it and teach a service dog to use these handles. There are many reasons why this handle type is easier as you age.
But as you look through the aisles in the hardware store, you may want to explore some additional options for your kitchen and bathroom faucets.
Have you thought about using voice technology in your kitchen or bathroom taps? Now you can ask ‘Alexa’ to dispense ‘one cup of cold water’ or ‘add 500ml of warm water’ and it will automatically do it for you. You can also purchase touch-less taps, that with a wave of your hand will turn on and turn off automatically. This technology in your home is designed to make things easier as you age.
Whether you are planning renovations, or looking for small projects you can easily budget for – changing your taps makes sense for aging well in your home. You can change out a tap every six months until you work through all the sinks in your home or do them all at once. The choice is yours!
In the comments below – share if this is a renovation you would have done in order to age well in your home….
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