The resources on this page are about housing for people who have disabilities. The first guide is a list of items buyers and real estate agents can measure as they tour properties. The second guide offers expanded insight into what people with disabilities might need in the home.
Home Modification Guide for Buyers and Real Estate Agents
This guide is a tool for buyers and real estate agents. The aim is to help uncover obstacles that could be experienced during a home modification for someone with a disability. Focus is given to having one entrance that provides access to both a bedroom and a bathroom that can be renovated for wheelchair accessibility. Please be aware this guide focuses on home modification as a strategy to delay nursing home placement. For this publication, features like entry-level laundry are not prioritized. It might be more cost-effective to employ someone to wash laundry and do other tasks than to bear the cost of a nursing home, even for rehabilitation after surgery or other health events.
Home Modification Planning Guide
This is an educational tool about living with disabilities in the home. The guide is designed to help you think about how you might use the home after developing disabilities. Within the guide, there are an array of questions classified under four categories (exterior, accessible routes, essential features, and using the home). The guide has space for taking notes as you answer the questions about your home. By answering these questions, you will have a better understanding of some of the home modifications you might need to make to age in place. This guide also includes names of some types of certifications or training a contractor might have.
Engaging a Professionals
The guides on this page are tools to help you prepare to hire professionals. Depending on the situation, hire someone with expertise in home modification and assistive technology to evaluate the feasibility of any home modification you intend.
If you have questions, contact Leacey Brown, SDSU Extension Gerontology Field Specialist.
