Home is Where the Heart Is: 5 Home Modification Tips for Aging in Place Safely

For many older adults, staying in the comfort of their own home—known as aging in place—is a top priority. But as mobility, vision, or balance change with age, a home that once felt safe and comfortable can now present hidden dangers.  A few simple home updates can allow for safety and independence without expensive and time consuming renovations. Whether you’re a family caregiver or an older adult planning ahead, these tips can make a big difference when considering safety, accessibility and comfort as your physical needs change.

1. Install Grab Bars in Key Areas

Grab bars can prevent serious falls in high-risk areas like the bathroom. Place them near toilets, showers, and tubs to help with balance and transfers. It is important to have them installed properly by a licensed contractor or they can create more danger than if there was nothing there at all.

2. Improve Lighting Throughout the Home

Poor lighting is a leading cause of falls. Make sure that the lighting in hallways, stairways, and bathrooms is sufficiently bright. Install motion-sensor night lights to adequately illuminate paths  in and  between the bedrooms and bathrooms.

3. Remove Trip Hazards

Remove any clutter, cords, and loose rugs that could lead to a fall. Secure throw rugs with non-slip backing or remove entirely.

4. Improve Bathing Safety

Consider installing a walk-in shower with a handheld showerhead and built-in bench or removable shower chair.

5. Adjust Furniture Layout

Create wide, clear pathways, choose chairs with arms for easier sitting and standing, and keep essentials within easy reach. Rearrange furniture to allow for clear walking paths.  If a person uses a walker or cane it is important to account for additional space.

Get a Home Safety Assessment

An elder care specialist at LMR Elder Care, can assess your home and provide personalized recommendations. We’ll identify potential risks, suggest modifications, and help you engage the appropriate resources to allow you or your loved ones to preserve independence and dignity and to live safely at home.

📞 Call us at 973.533.0839 or email us at hello@LMReldercare.com to learn more about how we can support you on your caregiving journey.

Legal Basics Every New Caregiver Should Know

When you become a caregiver, you're not just managing medications and meals—you’re also stepping into a complex world of paperwork, healthcare decisions, and long-term care planning. Without the right documents and protections in place, the difficult job of caregiving can become even harder.

There are three documents that every person over the age of 18 should have in place but especially if you are a caregiver or the recipient of care by someone else:

1. Financial Power of Attorney

A durable power of attorney allows the person or people that you appoint to act on your behalf. This can be used as a convenience when a person is well, or out of necessity if they lack the physical ability or legal capacity to manage matters on their own. Some instances where an institution will always require power of attorney include accessing bank accounts, handling health and long term care insurance matters, dealing with the department of motor vehicles, and negotiating invoices such as a hospital bill.

2. Medical Power of Attorney/Health Care Proxy

A Medical Power of Attorney is a document that a person completes when they are of sound mind that authorizes someone else to act as their proxy if they are unable to make medical decisions on their own accord.

Unlike the financial power of attorney which can be used for convenience, a medical power of attorney can never supersede the wishes or instructions of a person who holds legal capacity even if we disagree with their decisions. People can make their own choices, like declining surgery or experimental medical treatments, as long as they do not endanger others.

3. Advance Directive/Living Will

The Advance Directive is the set of medical instructions, or roadmap if you will, of what a person would want if they are unable to speak for themselves. Typically, it includes the authority to hire a care manager, long term care wishes, and end of life preferences such as mechanical ventilation and allowing natural death (often referred to as DNR, or do not resuscitate.).

Final Thoughts: Plan Now, Stress Less Later

It is a privilege to care for the life and well-being of someone else, and my clients who take on this responsibility would have it no other way. But it is also scary, time consuming and physically and emotionally exhausting. Having the legal documents in place now will save time, money and aggravation later on if a person fails to plan and their loved one needs to file a guardianship petition with the courts.

At LMR Elder Care we can help you determine if you have the proper legal documents in place and, if not, work with you and your loved ones to make sure that the necessary action is taken to protect yourselves. We are a boutique care management company that offers  personalized support and guidance for clients and their chosen family caregivers.

📞 Call us at 973.533.0839 or email us at hello@LMReldercare.com to learn more about how we can support you on your caregiving journey.

Buyer Beware: The Truth About Reverse Mortgages

A reverse mortgage can be an attractive financial vehicle for older homeowners who wish to tap into the equity of their homes without selling them. However, like any financial product, it comes with its own set of advantages and disadvantages. It is important to understand the full scope of the financial tool before “signing on the dotted line.”

Unlike a traditional mortgage, where the homeowner makes monthly payments to the lender, with a reverse mortgage, the lender makes a single payment or payments to the homeowner. The loan is repaid when the homeowner sells the home, moves out permanently, or passes away. Most reverse mortgages provide protection to the homeowner and heirs that they will never owe more than the home’s value once the loan is called, but it is important to make sure that the terms of the contract include a “non-recourse” clause. There are also supposed to be additional protections for the homeowners including mandatory counseling (which can be done over the phone) but other than signing off that it was done there are no real checks and balances that the counselor did what they were supposed to do, including explaining alternatives to taking out a reverse mortgage.

The loan terms of all reverse mortgages require that the homeowner maintain the property as well as keep up with property taxes and homeowners’ insurance. Failure to make a SINGLE payment on time can result in the start of foreclosure proceedings. This is extremely scary because the very purpose of the reverse mortgage is to allow a person to age in place. The idea that it can be called so easily and quickly, per the terms of the loan contract, can result in homelessness which arguably flies in the face of the government’s original intent in supporting the lending program.

For people on a fixed income, a reverse mortgage can provide access to cash which, ideally, is used to pay for home health care needs to allow people to age in place. However, it is important to understand that there are no restrictions on how the funds are used. In fact, when the homeowner needs the money most it could all be gone as well as the entire equity in the home.

Reverse mortgages can be expensive. They often come with high upfront costs, including mortgage insurance premiums, origination fees and closing costs. These fees can add up and reduce the amount of money the homeowner receives. In addition, interest and FHA mortgage insurance premiums on a reverse mortgage accrue over time, and since no payments are made, the amount owed continue to increase. In fact, over the course of time the amount owed can far exceed any equity left in the home. We have seen instances where a homeowner’s income after exhausting the reverse mortgage funds is well under the total cost of living expenses, property taxes and the homeowners insurance premium. Where they could, the older adults’ family members had to step in and help pay for their needs in order to keep a roof over their loved one’s heads.  

The additional income or resources, depending on how the reverse mortgage is drawn down (lump sum or monthly), can also potentially affect eligibility for need-based entitlement programs such as Medicaid. It’s imperative to understand how a reverse mortgage might impact these benefits before proceeding.

As with any major financial decision, it’s essential to thoroughly understand both the benefits and the risks.

If you or your loved ones are thinking about taking out a reverse mortgage LMR Elder Care is available to consult with you and your trusted financial and legal advisors to help holistically determine if this is an appropriate tool for your long-term care planning needs.