Aging in place living room
As Winnipeg’s most recognized aging in place home design expert, Shift Accessibility is called up to manage aging in place bathroom and aging in place kitchen renovations. However, once the primary “functional” areas of the residential retrofit are completed, homeowners typically follow up to inquire about their living spaces. After all, a house does not feel like a home until every room within it can be fully enjoyed, no matter the physical challenges an occupant may experience. As a part of our home renovation services, we have been updating living rooms and interior places of refuge for years, and we will optimize yours for both greater accessibility and enjoyment.
Professional family room renovation in Manitoba
When homeowners and property owners require aging in place home modifications and accessible family room renovations, they trust Shift Accessibility. Concurrently to come into their home and do the job well and effectively.
Each client has unique needs and is often particular about disruptions to their home. Particularly the disruptions during the family room renovation, and the aging in place living room design itself. We’re focused on those sensitivities and make it a top priority to respect the clients home and needs.
We gain the trust of our customers and we’ve earned our reputation because we’re licensed and insured. Nonetheless, we’re safe, we have full-time employees, we offer a warranty and we’re qualified and experts in the field family room renovations for elderly.
At Shift Accessibility, we’ve answered the call for many aging in place living rooms, executing jobs that are safe, efficient and beautiful. Furthermore, our prices are incredibly competitive.
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Our aging in place service
Getting older can come with many challenges. But your ability to continue living in your home comfortably and safely shouldn’t be one of them. You don’t have to leave your beloved home just because it’s not as easy to get around it as it once was. You just need the right renovation contractor that specializes in aging in place living room. If you’re in the Winnipeg area, you can trust the Shift Accessibility team for a professional family room renovations for elderly.
What’s involved in an aging in place living room?
From a new living room layout to new accessible furniture, Shift accessibility specializes in offering aging in place living room renovation services for any type of request. Whether it’s incorporating a better storage, installing aging in place equipment or a full-on accessible design and family room renovation project. We’ve worked with customers in just about every situation to meet their safety and home renovations needs.
Most family room renovations aren’t too complex. Due to the basic fact that it isn’t a working space like a kitchen or bathroom. Generally, in most cases, it’s widening the area to increase mobility. But every home is different, and every client has specific needs. Which means the renovation contractor needs to have a depth of knowledge to get it right the first time. There are also codes and regulations to consider for accessible family room renovations that are held to strict standards where the aesthetic is concerned. Which means attention to detail is key quality in an aging in place living room.
We recognize our clients’ safety as the utmost priority for our family room renovations. It is with great care that we choose top quality materials and take careful measures of planning and preparation. Thus steps is essential to respecting the home and the homeowners.
Recommendations from the professionals: occupational therapists
We have a skillful and adept knowledge of aging in place kitchen facilities. Therefore we can assess and build an effective family room renovations. Although, to take our service to the next level, we work with occupational therapists. They help us determine the exact needs of the client by getting a complete assessment of their medical and physical condition. Thus we get expert and custom recommendations according to the mobility and needs of our clients.
Our specialty includes but is not limited to the following:
- Living room layout
- Smart upgrades
- Grab bars
- Accessible flooring
- Lighting
Our aging in place living room design approach
When thinking of accessible family room renovations, you might have questions similar to the following. Will my aging in place living room modifications look like a hospital? Will this affect the resale value of my home? How can I make my living room easier for the elderly?
We understand that most people dissuade from having any kind of accessible remodeling done to their home for those reasons. We at Shift accessibility, take a look at designing a living room for aging in place alongside the necessities needed. Creating a complete package for our clients to feel safe and in comfort.
Such design steps could be tying in the style of the rest of the home into the living room. Or upgrading to modern style with new tiling or fresh paint. Adding beautiful aging in place cabinets. We love to work with our clients in achieving the best possible family room renovation in style, safety and budget.
Challenges in a traditional living room design
Traditional living space design challenges the safety, usability, and enjoyment for elderly homeowners and occupants. Impediments to optimal use with common living room design includes the following:
- Inadequate size
- Poor room layout for mobility
- Inaccessible lighting installations for turning off/on and replacing bulbs
- Inaccessible natural lighting installations that frustrate occupant’s ability to open or close the blinds
- Inaccessible points of entry (to the living room) and exit to/from dining room and other areas of the home
- Inaccessible (too high) recessed wall for home electronic (TV, sound system, etc.) installations
- Inaccessible (too high) mantles and built-in shelving
- Inaccessible fireplace (creates a fire hazard)
Upgrades for Your Specific Needs
Shift Accessibility takes the challenges listed above and turns them into opportunities. Best of all, that will reimagine the look, function, and feel of your aging in place living room space and other leisure spaces in the home.
That said, we don’t overstep and assume that you need a complete aging in place living room renovation overhaul. During your initial consultation we will ask questions to assess the challenges you are experiencing today, and what you expect for the future. We will consider any preexisting injuries (lower back pain, hip dislocation, etc.), conditions (osteoarthritis, etc.), along with any other musculoskeletal or neuropathic issues that must be factored into your family room renovation.
Of course, it’s not just about updating your living room (or dedicated home theater!) to account for challenges to biomechanics and loss of function. We want you to be excited about your new leisure space! We encourage you to tell us all about your vision no matter how unconventional it may seem. Once we know what your general budget range will be, we will find a way to make it happen. Consider your age in place upgrade as an opportunity to get the living space you’ve always dreamed of.
Let’s schedule your consultation so that you can tell us exactly what you need, and desire! Call 204.816.8699 for a friendly chat.
General home modification tips
There are a few things you can do to your living room without needing a complete aging in place architecture plan. There are a few non-intrusive you can do to improve your lifestyle at home. Here is a list that you can transform on your own or with some assistance.
- Remove any clutter or obstacles from the hallways and main rooms.
- Place your furniture to create a clear path of travel throughout your home, with extra manoeuvring space at doorways and the ends of halls.
- Secure or remove any area rugs that someone could trip over.
- Paint floors or doorways between rooms in different colours, to help people with a visual impairment or dementia find their way around.
- Install low-level transition strips between any changes in height or level, or use different floor textures between rooms and at the edges of hallways.
- Get a power bar and cable organizer to keep your television, telephone and other cords safely stored where they can’t trip anyone walking by.
- Place the television where it will have the least amount of glare.
- Put corner guards on the sharp edges of tables, chairs and other furniture.
- Place elevated risers under beds or chairs to help anyone who has trouble sitting or rising from a seated position.
Partners in design
Across Canada, there’s a need for accessibility and inclusive design. Recognizing this need, Michael Reimer and Corey Vlaming seized the opportunity to build upon their experience and success in the construction industry. In 2020 they started a new Winnipeg-based company, Shift Accessibility Contractors. The company focuses on accessibility renovations for seniors and persons with disabilities.
For nearly a decade, Reimer worked as a paramedic in Manitoba until he resigned to focus full time on his construction company. After years in the construction industry, Reimer began to see the growing need for accessible renovations.
In the near term, Reimer and Vlaming plan to expand their 14-person team to keep up with the increasing demand for accessible renovations. This expansion will also support another goal on the company’s radar. Reimer explains they’re working on assembling “a team that’s mobile, that can go out to different communities, like the rural communities in Manitoba, that may not have anyone that can even do a renovation, never mind a specialized accessibility renovation. The team would be able to work both locally in Winnipeg and the rest of the province.”
Reimer sheds some light on the company’s vision and goals for the future, which include addressing the need for accessible housing in Manitoba. For Manitobans looking for long-term accessible housing, there isn’t much available apart from institutional buildings and facilities. Reimer shares that “when we look around the world at how some countries are approaching accessibility, we see a huge opportunity to create spaces that are not just designed for people with disabilities. Instead, we want to create spaces that are designed for all people, regardless of their abilities. We believe that these developments would allow people of any ability to live side-by-side with one another in a setting that is beautiful and functional without an institutional look and feel.”
