Most people want to stay home. The AARP Home and Community Preferences Survey found 75% of adults 50 and older want to remain in their current home as long as they can.
The question is whether the reason they are struggling lives in the house or in their care needs. A tub they cannot climb out of has a fix. A person who needs help to eat, dress or take medicine on time needs people, and we do not provide care.
Aging in place with home modifications
Best for: Someone who can mostly look after themselves but is being pushed out by stairs, a dangerous bathroom, a hard entry or poor light.
Typical cost: Most projects $2,000 to $25,000 one time (market research report, from national cost guides).
Pros
- Keeps the person in their own home, near the people and places they know.
- One-time project costs, with most modification projects landing at $2,000 to $25,000 in published guides.
- Can be done in phases, starting with the most dangerous spot.
- Pairs with home care from an agency if care needs grow.
Cons
- The house still needs upkeep, and someone has to keep checking it.
- Living alone can be lonely, and modifications do nothing about that.
- It gives no medical care or supervision.
About home safety assessmentsAssisted living
Best for: Someone who needs help with daily tasks, supervision through the day, or more care than family and visiting aides can give.
Typical cost: About $92,220 a year in DC and about $79,300 a year in Maryland (Genworth and CareScout 2024).
Pros
- Staff on site around the clock.
- Meals, activities and other residents close by.
- No house to maintain.
Cons
- Leaving the home, which most people say they do not want.
- The bill runs to tens of thousands of dollars a year in DC and Maryland.
- The cost repeats every year the person lives there.
How to decide
Write down what is actually going wrong. If every item on the list is a place in the house, such as the tub, the stairs or the front steps, the house can usually be fixed.
If the list includes missed medicine, meals skipped or someone needing help to get dressed, talk to their doctor about care first. A safer house still helps, but it cannot be the whole answer.
Compare the numbers honestly. One year of assisted living in DC costs more than most full modification plans, and the plan is paid once. The assessment gives you a written report and prices for your own house, so the family can weigh the two with real figures.
Questions families ask
Can modifications delay a move to assisted living?
For many people, yes, when the house is what makes daily life hard. They cannot change a medical need that requires daily hands-on help.
Who pays for home modifications?
Mostly families themselves, since the Joint Center for Housing Studies found only about 6% of older homeowners used any outside funding. Programs such as DC Safe at Home and Maryland Accessible Homes for Seniors can help, so check their current terms.
Can we combine home care with modifications?
Yes. A home care agency provides the help and the modifications make the house safe for the person and the aide. We handle the house only.
Sources: Market research report, Sections 2 and 4.2 (most modification projects $2,000 to $25,000, built from the cost guides above). From the market research report: Genworth and CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2024, state tables (assisted living in DC and Maryland). AARP Home and Community Preferences Survey, 2024 (adults 50 and older who want to stay home). Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard (share of older homeowners using outside funding).
