Blog / Single Article

Easy-Care Home Improvements for Aging Baby Boomers

Independent and plentiful in numbers, Baby Boomers are a major part of America's housing outlook. With more than 76 million people born between 1946 and 1964, Baby Boomers are either currently in retirement or planning for retirement --- and their living arrangements are a primary consideration.

According to a survey conducted by Demand Institute of more than 4,000 Baby Boomer households, 63 percent of those surveyed do not plan to move, preferring instead to "age in place."

To make living in the same home more enjoyable and safe, it's smart to start with making upgrades to the bathroom. From adding grab bars in showers to removing slip-hazard throw rugs to installing easy-access walk-in tubs, there are many easy changes homeowners can tackle to make their lives better in their bathrooms.

To gain more privacy in the bathroom, along with natural ventilation, Baby Boomers can choose to replace standard windows with easy-to-operate decorative glass or acrylic block windows. As opposed to the strain of pushing and pulling open single- or double-hung windows, both crank-handled casement and slider windows are easier to operate as the body gets older. With privacy windows, homeowners also don't need to deal with curtains, window shades or other window treatments to gain privacy in the home.

"Whether homeowners are in their mid-fifties on the low end of the Baby Boomer spectrum or entering their seventies, everyone wants more privacy in their bathroom," says Roger Murphy, president of Hy-Lite, a U.S. Block Windows Company. "Easy-to-operate privacy windows make life so much simpler for homeowners. This one change in a bathroom setting can immensely impact the comfort level a person feels in their own home."