GardeningAs you age, some home maintenance tasks will become harder to accomplish yourself. What jobs you should or shouldn’t do can change every year as you age, especially if health concerns start to surface during that time. As such, you should evaluate what you can or can’t do every year and plan to hire experts or enlist the help of relatives accordingly. In this article, we’ll walk you through some key activities to be aware of, as well as how to keep enjoying your home and your garden, even as you age.

Avoid Dangerous Tasks

Any homeowner should be very careful about trying to handle potentially dangerous or risky tasks themselves, such as rewiring or gutter cleaning. However, as you grow older, the risks when carrying out these activities becomes even greater. Falling from a ladder, for example, results in more dangerous and significant injuries as you age, regardless of falling height. As such, it may be best to leave anything that needs to be done on a ladder to an expert or younger relative, even if you’re capable of doing it yourself.

Plan for Low Maintenance

In both your garden and in your home, you should begin to transition towards a safe and low-maintenance living model as you age. This means choosing home features and finishes that don’t require as much work, in addition to being slip-resistant and handicapped-accessible. For instance, after a day of gardening, you'll certainly want some time to relax in a hot bath. Walk-in bathtubs are an excellent addition to a senior home for this purpose, as they allow older adults to enjoy a bath without needing to get up and get down or potentially slip and fall. Plan to apply this principle to the exterior of your home, too, through things like wheelchair ramps and gutter guards.

Enjoying Your Garden

Gardening is a popular pastime, and many people, both young and old, find it to be rewarding and relaxing. However, bending down to tend to and plant your garden does get more difficult as you age. Items like garden scooters and carts do make this job easier, but if tending to your garden is causing you back pain or other issues, it may be better to hire help to take care of weeding or maintenance. You can still enjoy planting your garden every year and harvesting its yields; but employing someone else to pull weeds or apply mulch in the meantime can be a great way to reduce the toll on your body.