Targeting a more sedentary population: Baby Boomers
The oldest Baby Boomers are turning seventy-one in 2017. As this huge segment of the population grows older, many are finding it difficult to navigate and care for larger homes and are downsizing to apartments and condominiums. Consider appealing to this growing market share by adding some of these features to your property:
- Walk in baths and showers.
A bath that requires a resident to step over it is a potential hazard to older renters as they grow more physically limited. Walk in showers are an easy solution that is considerably safer. A walk in bathtub—which has a sealed door, allowing a user to step in before filling it with water—can provide the same benefits of a bath/shower while facilitating the less limber residents.
- Replace round doorknobs with lever-style knobs.
Doorknobs and locking mechanisms that work smoothly are important to any resident, but to older residents, they may be essential. A conventional door knob can be difficult for some older tenants to use—especially if they suffer from arthritis or similar conditions. Replacing round knobs with lever-style knobs throughout a unit makes the living space much easier to navigate.
- Provide good lighting.
Good lighting throughout a property is essential for residents with worsening eyesight and slowing reflexes. Inadequate lighting simply makes a space unsafe. Upgrading to higher-luminosity LEDs will save your residents on their utility and give them plenty of light to see by. Installing night-lights throughout a residence is a special touch that may win a potential tenant over.
- Install a fire-prevention system in the kitchen.
Let’s be honest—it’s not just older residents who leave a stove on from time to time! This is a feature that will keep your tenant and the whole property safe. A simple paint timer mechanism for the stove and oven can extend a tenant’s self-sufficiency and give everyone peace of mind.
- Keep floors safe.
A slippery floor can be difficult for an older person to navigate. Good carpet is easier to walk on—and, if it ever does happen, easier to fall on—than hardwood laminate or linoleum. In places where carpet can’t go, like bathrooms and kitchens, handle bars and non-slip floor liners are an inexpensive and simple way to further adapt a room to the needs of elderly residents.
