Stay in the home you love, on your terms.
Honest answers about making your home easier to live in, from people your age, before anyone tries to get you to sign.
We're planning ahead
Small changes now that make the next twenty years easier.
See these guides.
Mom or Dad just had a fall
What to change first, and what can safely wait a few weeks.
See these guides.
My parent won't talk about it
How to raise it without a fight.
See these guides.
We need to know what it costs
Typical price ranges, and the programs that help pay.
See these guides.
The library
Organized the way people actually ask questions: by room, by material, by cost and by conversation.
Nothing in the library matches that yet.
Try a room (bathroom, stairs), a thing (grab bar, tile), or a question (how much, who pays). Or call Shep at 833-AIPA-HUB.
You can also bring the question you could not find to the next Live Q&A, the next open session.
Try:
Rooms
Money and rules
Materials
Conversations
The numbers worth knowing
These measurements come from the 2010 ADA Standards and ANSI tile standards. The ADA doesn't apply to private homes, but its measurements are the best-tested guide there is.
| What to check | Target | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Height of a grab bar | 33–36 in | ADA 2010, §609.4 |
| Clear opening of a doorway | 32 in min. | ADA 2010, §404.2.3 |
| Toilet seat height | 17–19 in | ADA 2010, §604.4 |
| Knee space under a sink | 27 in high | ADA 2010, §306.3 |
| Space to turn a wheelchair | 60 in circle | ADA 2010, §304.3.1 |
| Steepest ramp slope | 1 : 12 | ADA 2010, §405.2 |
| Grip of tile on wet indoor floors | DCOF 0.42+ | ANSI A326.3 |
The 10+ Year Freedom Plan
Most homes don't need everything at once. Plan in stages, so each change is made before it's urgent.
Planning ahead
Before anything has gone wrong.
- Brighter, warmer lighting
- Lever handles
- Comfort-height toilet
Balance starts to change
Small stumbles, more caution on stairs.
- No thresholds to trip on
- Grab bars that look like towel bars
- Night lighting along paths
A cane or walker comes in
Moving through the house takes planning.
- Curbless shower
- Wider doorways
- Stairlift or main-floor bedroom
A caregiver helps daily
Two people in the room at once.
- Wheelchair turning space
- Roll-under sink
- Backing for a ceiling lift
When you're ready for help
Join a Live Q&ANext: the next open session
Learn what's possible, what it costs and what to do first. No camera needed. Or call 833-AIPA-HUB.
Invite someone else
They can join the call. Shep will help you talk through the hard parts.
Meet one vetted local specialist
If you want an in-home visit, we introduce you to our partner contractor in your area.
Judge the visit for yourself
Use our checklist to see whether the inspection was thorough. You're never obligated to hire anyone.
Who you'll talk to
Drawing from my construction and remodeling background, I help families make smart, safe aging-in-home decisions.
I founded AIPA after watching my parents and their peers struggle to make good decisions in the face of insufficient -- and often predatory -- advice, determined to give people guidance they can trust.
Shep Cook
Tools
Work through your own home, at your own pace.
Home safety checklist
Fifteen questions, room by room, with a printable summary of what to fix first.
Open the tool
Home or assisted living cost comparison
Compare the cost of adapting the home with local care costs over five years.
Open the tool
Funding finder
See which grant, waiver and tax programs may apply in your state.
Open the tool
Contractor visit checklist
What a thorough in-home inspection should measure, to print and bring along.
Open the tool
The free Live Q&A
The next session is about 45 minutes, with no camera. You can join from a phone or a computer, and someone else can join with you.
- What to change first, and what can wait
- Typical costs, and ways to pay
- Raising it with a parent who doesn't want to talk about it
How we're paid
The library is free, and so is talking with Shep. In each area we partner with one contractor we've vetted. When you book an in-home visit with them, they pay us a referral fee.
- You never pay us anything.
- You're never obligated to hire our partner.
- Everything in the library applies no matter who you hire.