As Canada’s inhabitants ages, inside designers will play an more and more necessary function in assembly the wants of older adults who wish to preserve their independence, security and high quality of life by proactively taking steps to future proof their houses and age in place.

In British Columbia, one in 5 individuals are at the moment over the age of 65, and the Workplace of the BC Seniors Advocate tasks that inside the subsequent decade, that determine will rise to 1 in 4.

This statistic is necessary in gentle of the Nationwide Institute on Ageing (NIA) 2025 Ageing in Canada Survey launched in early 2026, that exhibits greater than 80 per cent of Canadians wish to stay of their houses of their later years, however solely 38 per cent have taken steps to take action.

“Growing older-in-place design is much less about getting ready for decline and extra about preserving independence by stunning, ergonomic environments that may flexibly assist folks throughout their phases of life,” says Lori Sutherland Burns, principal at Port Moody-based Studio Ten Inside Design .

Hannah Cheng, founder and principal inside designer at New Westminster-based CHY Design agrees.

“What attracts me to aging-in-place design is the chance to create houses that aren’t solely protected and cozy, but additionally stunning and welcoming. I imagine a few of the greatest design options are those folks hardly discover. They quietly take away boundaries, make on a regular basis duties simpler and assist independence with out compromising the sensation of house,” says Cheng, who’s licensed in adaptive house renovation with an emphasis on aging-in-place design by the Canadian Residence Builders’ Affiliation.

Burns says when discussing a customized house or a renovation, adaptable — or aging-in-place — design is at all times a part of the dialog.

“We design stunning houses that simply occur to be adaptable,” she says, including, “everyone deserves to reside someplace that’s tremendous practical and exquisite.”

That early dialog with purchasers is exemplified in a not too long ago accomplished undertaking that included aging-in-place design all through a house that gained a number of awards within the 2026 Homebuilders Affiliation Vancouver (HAVAN) Awards for Housing Excellence.

“We knew this was going to be their perpetually house,” says Burns, including the first bed room, en suite and closet are all on the primary ground.

“All of the doorways are accessible width in order that in the event that they ever wanted a walker or a wheelchair, they wouldn’t must make any modifications,” she says. All of the showers are curbless and accessible width and the hallways are broad for a similar cause.

Along with her function at Studio Ten, Burns is program head for BCIT’s Diploma in Residential Interiors and a college member who teaches all ranges of the Inside Design Diploma program together with Inclusive Environments, a design studio that focuses on designing an unbiased residing/assisted residing residence for ages 55-plus.

In line with the British Columbia authorities’s Seniors’ Fall Prevention data, one in three residents within the province over the age of 65 will fall as soon as yearly, and falls are the primary cause why older adults lose their independence.

The chance of house stair falls is a serious concern. Having no stairs is the very best answer but when a house does have stairs guarantee good lighting particularly in hallways, stairways and entrances the place stage adjustments could also be troublesome to see, significantly at night time. Even quick units of two or three steps ought to have sturdy handrails to supply additional assist, says Cheng.

Stair dimensions additionally matter, she says, including that steps ought to have a constant top as a result of uneven risers can disrupt an individual’s pure strolling rhythm.

“Our physique has a way of reminiscence. So once you’re going up or down the steps and rapidly one tread is a bit of bit shorter or larger it catches you off guard and you may simply lose your steadiness,” she says, including if flooring is being changed it’s necessary to account for any adjustments that might alter stair top.

Bogs, with their exhausting, generally slippery, surfaces are one of the crucial necessary locations within the house to give attention to to scale back the chance of falls.

Seize bars are sometimes one the primary issues on the checklist however safely including them could be a problem. Nonetheless, planning forward could make this a comparatively straightforward process. In a brand new construct, or throughout a toilet reno, putting in wooden blocking to suit between the studs earlier than the partitions are closed with drywall or tile will present anchor factors for future seize bars.

“Even when you don’t really feel such as you want [grab bars] proper now, I’d nonetheless put within the wooden blocking in order that sooner or later you don’t must take down your wall tiles, you’ll be able to simply add the seize bar,” says Cheng.

She factors out that including comfort-height bogs can be a characteristic value contemplating. “Consolation-height bogs are usually round 17.5-inches from completed ground to seat,” says Cheng, who advises optimum heights needs to be examined in toilet showrooms as a result of wants might differ in keeping with physique stature.

However aging-in-place design isn’t nearly mobility, it’s additionally about imaginative and prescient, says Burns who notes the significance of creating certain there’s a distinction in lightness and darkness that’s simply discernible even when an individual has imaginative and prescient challenges.

“We at all times make it possible for there’s ample [visual] distinction between the flooring, cupboards, counter tops and backsplashes,” she says including that fastidiously deliberate, balanced lighting with applicable color rendering to scale back glare, present journey hazards and restrict visible confusion can be mandatory.

Good house applied sciences — corresponding to motion-activated lighting, video doorbells, good locks, programmable thermostats, motorized blinds and touchless taps — can enhance security and comfort for older adults.

“My mother, as an example, is 85. We arrange her house in order that she has every thing voice activated — good locks and lighting — she doesn’t must stand up to show off a lightweight, it’s all voice activated,” says Burns.

Cheng says circadian lighting methods that mimic pure daylight to assist peoples’ inside organic clock may also be useful.

“It’s a sort of lighting system that adjusts the color temperature and in addition the depth to sync with our pure sleep patterns and assist with our sleep at night time,” she says, explaining a system might be preprogrammed by a pc, or there are gentle bulbs, corresponding to Philips Hue , which might be managed by a smartphone.

Whereas making a house extra adaptable is a crucial a part of growing old in place, the NIA says preparation goes past renovations. It additionally consists of budgeting for future accessibility upgrades, setting apart funds for care, planning for altering well being wants and sustaining robust social connections to assist stop isolation.

The 5 pillars of a wholesome house

Creating a house that helps wholesome growing old ought to incorporate wellness-focused design to advertise each bodily consolation and total well being, says CHY Design’s Hannah Cheng, including these ideas are primarily based on 5 key parts.

Indoor air high quality

Throughout renovations, select low-VOC (unstable natural compound) paints, flooring and finishes to scale back off-gassing. Good air flow and air filtration additionally assist preserve more healthy indoor air.

Thermal consolation

A house that’s persistently comfy is less complicated to reside in year-round. Cheng recommends radiant heating the place doable, noting that it supplies even heat whereas circulating much less airborne mud than forced-air methods.

Lighting

Good lighting doesn’t depend on including extra fixtures. The aim is to extend total gentle ranges whereas minimizing glare from reflective surfaces, which might pressure growing old eyes.

Acoustics

Open-concept houses can amplify noise, making areas really feel overwhelming. Smooth furnishings, textiles and textured finishes assist take up sound and create a calmer atmosphere.

Water high quality

Faucet filters, under-sink filtration methods or fridges with built-in filters can present an added stage of safety and enhance the standard of ingesting water.