AARP Releases Ten Tips to Make Homes Safer

For those who are considering purchasing a new home for their retirement, assessing its livability is critical before making a purchase. Is there a step-free entrance into the central living area of the home? Are the doorways wide enough to move in a big-screen TV, or in some cases, a wheelchair or walker? Is there a bathroom and bedroom on the main floor? These are just a few questions people should consider asking as they prepare to buy, ensuring that the home will support them comfortably as they age.

AARP offers a wealth of information to guide homeowners in retrofitting and updating their home. To learn more about home design and how to evaluate your home and community, visit www.aarp.org/homedesign. To get a copy of AARP’s new publication, Home Modification: Your Key to Comfort, Safety and Independent Living and Modificaciones hogarenas: Su clave para el confort, la seguridad y la vida independiente, call 1-888-OUR-AARP and mention the publication number D18524.

AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization that helps people 50+ have independence, choice and control in ways that are beneficial and affordable to them and society as a whole. We produce AARP The Magazine, published bimonthly; ARP Bulletin, our monthly newspaper; AARP Segunda Juventud, our bimonthly magazine in Spanish and English; NRTA Live & Learn, our quarterly newsletter for 50+ educators; and our website, www.aarp.org. AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity that provides security, protection, and empowerment to older persons in need with support from thousands of volunteers, donors, and sponsors. We have staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.